other shark info...

[rdny041285]

does anyone know where i can find a "atlantic shark identification chart" and possible the edibility of certain sharks and south florida laws on catching certain sharks.....i know the limit on catching sharks from the florida fish and wildlife thing online but it doesnt say which sharks i can catch and keep and the edibility of certain ones....ive heard from a lot of people that sharks are good eating...

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: other shark info...

ehh... in my opinion theres a hell of a lot of better fish to keep and eat. i have never kept and cleaned one personally but i know you have to bleed them as soon as you catch them and get them on ice. not sure about the regs on them, sorry

 

[tnduc]

Re: other shark info...

Sharks are very good eating. Like stated above, bleed and put on ice immediately for best results. Cut into steaks they are great on a grill, or chunk them and cook in tomato sauce and pour over pasta.

 

[rdny041285]

Re: other shark info...

well im sure some sharks must taste better than others....do you know which south florida sharks are best eating and maybe where i can find a chart to identify the different sharks?

 

[tnduc]

Re: other shark info...

I've seen fish ID cards online at several sites. As far as which sharks are good eating, I've always found blacktip to be the best.

 

[rdny041285]

Re: other shark info...

ok thank you for the info...im going to try looking up a shark id chart...havnt been able to find one yet though.

 

[dgopetactical]

Re: other shark info...

http://www.outdoorcharts.com/saltwater.htm

 

[rdny041285]

Re: other shark info...

has anyone ever ate carribean reef shark? and is it good eating? I went out yesterday and caught a bunch of bonitas and hooked them up on my shark rod and caught 4 of these....let them go though. they are really fun to fight...never caught something so big before in my life.

 

[Xandre]

Re: other shark info...

I was in Turks and Caicos last year on a live-a-board dive ship and our captain told us that at the current rate of fishing and destruction of the oceans we won't have sharks around in 20 years!

This would be a SERIOUS disruption on the balance of the aquatic ecosystem that would affect a great many other species. On the land or in a boat this isn't something that is in your face and you might never think about it. As a SCUBA diver though I see the decline already in Sharks and other species and it saddens me and a great many other people.

Please consider throwing sharks back into the water if you catch them. As another person who posted said there are many other better fish to keep and eat.

 

[rdny041285]

Re: other shark info...

all 4 that i caught were released....but i do try different kinds of fish when i hear that they are good to eat so i would like to try it and see for myself.

 

[rdny041285]

Re: other shark info...

also just wondering, does it sadden you when you read in the paper about scuba divers being attacked by sharks as i read earlier this year a scuba diver was attacked and killed and also a couple went on a trip to the bahamas and we snorkeling and were attacked by sharks also a little boy swimming at the beach was attacked by a shark?

 

[Xandre]

Re: other shark info...

Yes It saddens me when any living thing is hurt. However I will point out that when you enter the water you are at your own risk. Sharks need to eat and when you are snorkeling on the surface or surfing you look like food.

Its not complicated.

I dive with sharks and perhaps have more experience on this matter than you. When I encoutner a shark while diving I feel lucky. Most sharks don't want anything to do with you.

The attack in Bahammas happened at Stuart's Cove. A dive operation famous for shark feeding. Simply put they bait up the water with fish\chum so you can see sharks up close while diving. When you do this sharks start to feed and obviously accidents can happen. It not the shark at fault it is the dive operators and divers who willingly enter the water in this manner.

Would you walk up to a Tiger in a jungle holding a big bloody steak? I wouldn't.

 

[Five O'Clock]

Re: other shark info...

Xandre,

I couldn't agree with you more about saving the sharks and preserving the aquatic ecosystem, but I do not believe a few recreational fishermen in this forum who are catching 1 or 2 sharks per year, and using them for their meat, is going to have a dramatic effect on the ecosystem.

I feel as if it's the foreign countries, such as Japan and China and other Asian countries who are the ones depleting the stock of the shark. Catching sharks in mass quantities, cutting their fins off and dumping them back in the ocean just for Shark Fin soup. They are the ones destroying the oceans.

I firmly believe that if the shark population in Florida was threatened or endangered, then the government would step in and say you cant even fish for shark. Granted, that may not stop every single fisherman, some will be defiant, but I feel it would stop most, if not all, of the fisherman on iboats.

Like I said before, I couldn't agree with you more about preserving the aquatic ecosystem, and I couldn't urge the world population to help preserve it, but a few sharks that have been caught and used for their meat may not make a huge difference.

 

[Xandre]

Re: other shark info...

You are right that sport fishing in Florida where most people prob. throw the sharks back into the water isn't damaging. My goal here wasn't to point a finger at this type of fishing and say "its all your fault".

Yes it is China and some other countires who catch sharks, cut their fins off and throw the bleeding and still live sharks back into the water only so they can sink and die. They do this on a mass scale without regard for the ecosystem only so people can have the shark fin soup.

Nevermind the ecosystem for a moment- It is just wastefull to not use the entire animal once you kill it.

I am just passionate about Sharks and posted my comment to please "consider" throwing the sharks back into the water rather than eating them. Although I know they taste good =)

 

[rdny041285]

Re: other shark info...

well put and great points...

I believe shark fishing is a part of some lives as well as other fishing and there will be nothing to change that until its against the law just like other animals and other laws against hunting and fishing certain things....that is why there are bag limits...if population starts getting down they input laws to prevent the extinction

 

[rdny041285]

Re: other shark info...

i would just like to get 1 shark to see how it tastes and also whatever is left of the shark either have it mounted or the jaws from it and have it as a trophy to send to my nephew and my dad who live in NY and have never seen a shark up close besides a zoo...in fact sunday was the first shark ive ever seen up close like that...but its because of fishermen (and other factors) that shark population is kept in check cause if we dont keep it in check they will eventually kill eachother or eat a lot of food and kill themselves....there is population control in many parts of life even humans killing humans...

 

[Xandre]

Re: other shark info...

Well I'm not sure sharks are going to kill each other off before humans kill them. They have been around for a over 400 million years and haven't evolved very much because they haven't needed to. They are very efficient swimmers and hunters and also have problem solving skills, social lives and are inquisitive.

Here is an interesting statistic: It is estimated that 25-75 MILLION sharks are killed each year by both recreational and commercial fishing.

It takes sharks longer to reach sexual maturity than most fish and have few offspring so they don't recover easily.

Yes there is natural population control. That is part of what I was saying about the ecosystem. If humans (not sport fisherman) wipe out sharks the population levels of other species which sharks kept under control will be altered. Alter one species and it affects another all the way up and down the chain.

Anyway- I'm glad you got to see a shark for the first time even if you were trying to yank it out of the water =) They are amazing creatures.

 

[rdny041285]

Re: other shark info...

my favorite part of reeling them in was when they are about 30 or 40 feet down in the water and you can see their shadows slowly coming up...it is really exciting and the biggest "fish" i have ever reeled in by far...

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: other shark info...

Well there's no shortage of sharks around here that's for sure. Everytime we go out we seem to catch a decent sized shark or two. They are great eating too if prepared correctly. We keep them all the time.

As for numbers, sometimes we catch more shark than keeper fish. They even bite shrimp here. Maybe with a few less shark out there it will increase game fish numbers.

Still, it's rude to barge into a thread like this when the guy wants info on what to keep and start preaching like this. If you have a problem with it start your own thread.

 

[sunaj]

Re: other shark info...

Re: sharks, since they have eaten quite a few of us, I say bring on the barby. As a diver and spearo I can't wait to take my first Great White with my trusty ss 12 ga. powerhead: (when they become legal, of course) We have Fish and Game specialists who manage the taking of any game animals, and unless there is a threat to the herd hunting is a management tool. Also, who says it's the sharks' domain? We're at the top of the food chain, we came from the oceans and we are back with a vengeance When they perfect the electric field suit for divers shark attacks will be as unusual as smallpox.
As far as shark attacks, there is a lot of blather about sharks misidentifying us for seals and what not. Give me a break, whether they sense you thru their ventral lines hundreds of yards away, or a little blood in the water, or your electrical signature under the mud, not to mention popping their head above water to see you better (er, to dine on you better) we are food to them, although we're not the usual daily fare, which is probably why attacks are the exception ( and we probably stink and taste bad to them also).