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I know what catch and release is. A lot of sharks can’t handle catch and release.
Like I said, when a shark has a stable population and taking the species is legal there’s nothing wrong with it. I’m not talking about taking oceanic white tips in the Atlantic where they’re listed by the IUCN. I’m talking about data backed stocks that are being properly managed.
Sport fishing is not a problem. Commercial fishing is. More sharks are killed by tuna long liners, etc than sport fishers. If you and all the other shark activists want to help sharks here’s two things you can do. One, stop eating commercially caught fish; two, petition your federal government to ratify this UN Treaty which seeks to enact marine reserves outside economic exclusion zones.
Going after sport fisherman is pointless when the commercial industry does so much more damage.
What if the general public doesn’t approve of shark trophy hunting? Hm? What if they think sharks are worth more alive? Do their wishes mean nothing?
Arguing with you is pointless.
Then they should bring those issues to their governments to have the laws changed. But, like I said, you’re going after the wrong group. Commercial fishing kills an uncountable number of sharks each year. Sport fishing is nothing compared to that. If we only ever had sport fisherman there would be no issues with these populations.
You’re going after sport fishers because it’s an easier target. There’s fewer and they’re unorganized which makes it easier to fight them. You also aren’t one so you can sit above them and act holier than thou while you eat commercial fish lol
Yes sir, and us Land Based Shark Fishermen release damn near every shark we catch and there are a few of us collaborating with universities and non-profits on research projects. I’ve worked with Monmouth University on post release mortality studies on sandbar and sand tiger sharks. Have had fish acoustic tagged in Jersey ping all along the coast as far south as central Florida.
The reason activists hate us so much is because they don’t see what happens to them offshore. Out of sight out of mind. We make every effort to fight the fish quickly and release them healthy. Collectively, as a community, we have minimal impact. The data collected from us is also a net positive for sharks, as it will inevitably be used to draft future regulations. But I get it, we’re in plain sight catching sharks, it’s a hard sell.