I get an email from Field and Stream and the subject includes “587 Pound NY Thresher Shark.”
I like Thresher Sharks. They look kind of cool with the extra long tail. There is even a Thresher Shark Research and Conservation outfit.
I had a feeling I wouldn’t like what I would see, but I open the email anyway and this is what I saw…
Crap.
I am not a fan of killing sharks just for the sake of killing sharks. In fact, I’m pretty firmly in the “don’t do that shit” camp. Sharks are a pretty key part of the ecosystem out there, top predators usually are, and taking them out of the system just so you can get this picture makes me a bit pissed. Thresher sharks don’t kill people, although I did read about someone that may have been killed by the tail of one of these sharks as they were pulling it in a boat somewhere. There was zero cause to kill the thing.
I think most fly fisherman would likely NOT have killed the beast, but the non-fly Field & Stream subscribers likely would and that is why they presented it front and center in the email. I hope more of the C&R ethic can make its way into the bait and kill crowd, but I don’t know how that will happen.
I applaud the Shark-Free Marina effort for trying to get there.
These are American Bison skulls… killed for fun, driving the Bison to the brink of extinction.
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Tags: Conservation, douchebags, Shark Free Marinas, thresher shark
Record chasers piss me off!
I am hoping that some day, with the right kind of education from people like you, Thresher Shark Research and Preservation, and the Shark-Free Marina folks, pictures like this will become a thing of the past.
Maybe karma will come around and that guy will get eaten by a shark…
i don’t want to add to the list of unemployed but these “boat captains” should be restricted as to what they can legally kill. The photos are nauseating to say the least
Over the last couple of years ESPN and some other blue water manufacturers sponsored a shark tournament that required killing the sharks to be brought in for measurement. They caught a ton of criticism and threats of boycotts of their products, etc. Lots of pictures of big breeder sharks hanging from gantries and hooks. The guys (and women) standing next to the sharks all had a common characteristic of looking like they knew killing sharks was unpopular and wrong but they didn’t give a shit. They all fit one of two models – either they looked like they had enough money that they didn’t care what the rest of the world thinks – or the ignorant macho-man type who seemed to expect the viewer to be in awe of their fishing ability. I wish all these trophy shark killers would find something else to do but I think the bigger risk is the production fishing for shark fins mostly from the Asia region. Saw a report earlier this week that concluded the sudden population explosion of Humboldt squid off Mexico is most due to the drastic decline in their main predator – the shark.
I agree that the major threat to sharks is more the industrial pursuit of sharks for the Asian market. I think that is the main culprit, for sure. These kinds of shark killers are just easier to find and point fingers at. Good news is that Shark Fin Soup is now off the menu in a lot of US cities, including San Francisco.
I like sharks… even though bullsharks freak me out. Those suckers are FAST. Scary fast. Still, wouldn’t kill one for sport. “Killing for sport.” How ignorant is that concept?
its all about moderation really. i know many eat fish, and in my opinion a fresh thresher steak is about one of the most delicious seafood options available…..