Massive mako shark caught off Nova Scotia

[deadend]

They had to keep it because the testosterone filled men who participate in these shark derbies up and down the coasts of Canada and the US are only in this for bragging rights. I posted these same pictures on my site two months ago and it created some very emotional responses. There is no need of anything being killed without the purpose of consuming it.

Jason

I'm just wondering how all of you are so certain of the shark's fate. You must have spent a large chunk of change traveling from Kentucky, Texas, NJ, and other places inconvenient to Nova Scotia to see what those guys did with the fish.

 

[docmartin]

by the way, i would have thought that fish weighed more than 1035 lbs. it looks massive! and in reality the killing is even more senseless since it does not even make for good bragging rights. after all it was not really caught with line and hook but roped around the tail and pulled by a boat. not exactly the old man and the sea...

 

[Nomaster]

My cousin sent me the article last month.
I just deleted it. Like they did the shark.
Another, "Why?" among myriad whys...

Tom

 

[Kennedydive]

I'm just wondering how all of you are so certain of the shark's fate. You must have spent a large chunk of change traveling from Kentucky, Texas, NJ, and other places inconvenient to Nova Scotia to see what those guys did with the fish.

The fate of the fish is it's DEAD. These creatures are misunderstood and mistreated. You do not want to get me started on topics of shark fining and the birth mortality rates due to pollution. I'm not against the proper management of resources but shark derbies IMHO are nothing but a bunch of individuals in a pissing contest. I have been on the wharf when the fish come in. I do know what it's about. Is it possible we are the only place in the world that a bunch of morons compete for bragging rights and don't give a rats as# about what happens to the fish they just took out of the eco system. Frankly I'm getting tired of seeing very little marine life on our wrecks. A combination of over fishing and a surplus of seals with no predators can only lead to one thing. These sharks are one of the worlds oldest creatures and if we are not careful than they will be lost forever.
JK

 

[Mike Veitch]

Nicely said Kennedydive.

For those non-believers please visit www.sharks.org

They are disappearing fast but due to their negative media relationship the average person just doesn't care. "ooo, big shark! Kill it Kill it. Lets show the world what a man i am!"

Bunch of horse s**t.

Sharks are a very important and integral part of our marine ecosystem. Taking the apex predator out of any system is asking for trouble.

 

[Drewpy]

I recently saw the "Monster Shark Tournament" which aired on ESPN a few weeks ago-what a disgrace! It takes place in Marthas Vineyard every year and is sponsored by Miller Beer.
It was revolting,every shark was killed-not one tagged and released! Mostly makos and threshers.
And of course, between each segment that was filmed on each individual boat, were stories and interviews with people who had been victims of shark attacks! It was almost as if they were justifying killing all these Thresher sharks which have never attacked a human!

 

[cyklon_300]

hear about your sentiments concerning the tournament their money supports.

And don't buy their swill...

 

[mempilot]

Too bad the guy putting the rope around the tail didn't take a fall in the water with the fish. It's easy to kill a shark from the confines of a 15k lb fishing boat, but hand to toothe would have ended differently.

 

[Kennedydive]

I read the article from the link provided. This is what was posted on my site back on Aug. 27, 2004. According to this it was a derby in which it was caught.

"Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 7:07 AM
Subject: Shark Scramble

Hi,
Wow, look at this big girl! She is a Mako and they say she was
probably over 20 years old and had mothered many pups. She weighed
in at 1082lbs and was 10'-10" long! The biologist says he's only
ever seen one bigger.

Hello there folks how would you like to come up with that shark at
the end of your fishing rod.This was caught at the Yarmouth Shark
Scramble on Sat Aug 21st by Wedgeport man Jamie Doucette ,Bruces son
that is the captain of the Soldier Boy. I actually talked with
Jamie Sat night said it was a big test to undergo for this thing
fought for 45 minutes before coming on deck with 2 different ropes
arround it. Take a look folks at this hurrendous thing..."

 

[Beckyfish]

Hey, I just had to join the forum just to tell you guys about what really happened to this beautiful animal. If you look closely at the second picture of the article, that's me standing just below the shark with my arms crossed. I was a volunteer with the DFO (department of fisheries and oceans) at this derby and I was there when they brought the animal in and I helped to dissect her as well.
All of the sharks that were caught in this derby were fully processed: nothing was wasted. They were all cut into steaks and sold to local resteraunts and the rest was made into fertilizer. The jaws were either kept as trophies, or the teeth were removed and given to the children who came to watch as souveniers. And I will take on anyone who says that this derby was wasteful and wrong, because aside from the tons of information we learned from our dissections about sexual maturity and aging methods of sharks, the number of children that left with a sense of how important and beautiful sharks are was inspiring, to say the least. I even overheard one little girl say she didn't want her daddy catching the "pretty sharkies" anymore. Most of these children would never have seen a shark, dead or alive, had it not been for this event, and they would never have earned such a respect for them as I saw they did that day. So the next time you start bashing these derbies, keep a few things in mind: science needs specimens in order to proceed. Without the actual animals to study, we could never have a hope of finding ways to preserve them. Second, in most of Cananda - including where this shark was caught- it is illegal to kill sharks unless during an organized derby, only catch-and-release sport fisheries are allowed so without this event, we would have nothing to study.
Thanks, feel free to e-mail me any further questions you have!
goosey_girl@hotmail.com