Great White population surge

good news for marine life along the coasts. but the science mentioned in the article isn't very convincing.

"Admittedly, such a collective census scheme does leave room for error. Add in the fact that there is no historical data on great white population levels, and it is difficult to say with certainty how the shark numbers are actually changing over time."

 

There are more people looking for them with better technology so it only makes sense that more will be found opposed to what has been spotted in the past. Who knows what was and is really going on?

 

http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/07/12/3208527/scientists-suggest-local-waters.html

Apparently, this has been common knowledge since the 70s, but Hatteras to Jacksonville is the birth grounds for pretty much EVERY shark species in the North Atlantic. They are tracking all kids of Tigers and Whites down here. Mary Lee just gave birth to her pup a stones throw from my house and is on her way back up to Cape Cod....

A buddy of mine, who was a Marine biology student back in the 90s told me that even then, they discussed how the SC coastlines, HHI up through Charleston was a hotbed for large sharks to breed. But they mentioned that they times that they come here, are generally to give birth and then make their way back up north, so they aren't typically in these waters with a large appetite. They come down for the tidal and coastal conditions and then make their way back up....

Interesting stuff....

I hate to say this, but at a certain point, do we drop the restrictions on fishing these things? They said in the surfline article that for centuries, they were heavily fished and there was no big deal...

Read the comments in the surfline article. Real sh**. Unsettling too.

 

paging shark hunter

please pick up the white courtesy phone

 

I knew someone was going to say this:

Even though the author said the largest macro predatory fish, not mammal.

 

Whats going on with the great whites is unnatural. between the seals not being hunted and the great whites not being hunted, both species are experiencing population growth which is a mistake on all accounts.

Now no one is saying to hunt both off the planet... but its only a matter of time before you or someone you know gets attacked.

 

Like I said, my buddy got bit on his foot two weeks ago while we were wading through chest deep water with a cooler filled with bloody fish... Pretty shocking =) Still haven't called the Shark Attack files to report it.

On a side note, someone got struck by lightening last week in New Mexico.

But Mary Lee was pinged right at our shark fishing hole. Maybe one of these weekends, I will accidentally snag her. Then I can try and fight her up the beach into a pack of swimmer. I will make sure to put it on youtube.

 

I did like the surfline comments. Something to the effect of: I love how 10s of thousands of these "activists" and environmentalist, who spend ZERO time in the ocean are the ones calling the shots and regulating all this stuff. That seems like me being able to vote in Maryland's elections even though I am an SC resident.

If you don't have a dog in the fight, you shouldn't really have a voice either.

There are reportedly 2,500 whiteys swimming off the CA coast.... as apposed to 500 or so in the 80s.

Sweet.

 

UH OH!

 

Well, at the very least, share that surfline feature far and wide and it should keep some people out of the water.

 

Who wears these on their wrist? I do

 

Anyone on Long Island noticing that there is more Marine life close to the beach lately? People fishing close to the beach through the bunker schools have noticed threshers and hammerheads near shore. Bottlenose dolphins too which is rare here, we get porpoise but not bottle nose. Monday i went over an huge sea turle. It took me a minute to figure out why the water all around me was so dark. creepy.

 

This was all talked about over a month ago on a similar thread, Sharkhunter included. Many posters feel that "we're on the shark's turf", and that it somehow justifies humans being attacked. I don't personally feel that way, but I don't necessarily advocate "Going Jap" on all sharks either.

I'm not asking this question to be a smartas$, but I'm curious if anyone with an oceanographic background can tell us: What do sharks contribute to the ecosystem?

There were nowhere near as many sharks on either coast while I was growing up...nor as many seals or sea lions either, for that matter. The ocean's "health" did not seem to be affected, nor was there any scientific research or data that proved otherwise.

Again, just curious with a legitimate question.

 

apex predators keep the herd in check. seal pops bloom then more sharks. less seals less sharks.

my neighborhood had a million rabbits. then we started seeing foxes everywhere. the rabbit population dropped then we didn't see anymore foxes. now we have rabbits again and soon the foxes will follow.

 

I am no expert, but in a nutshell, the only positive impact they have is regulation species below them in the food chain. Period.

1/3 of the worlds food supply comes from the ocean... People actually blame the downfall of fisheries in the Chesapeake to lack of shark population. I don't buy it. I blame pollution, over fishing, over crabbing that has been well documented...

All in all, I could care less about the shark population. Sharks are usually not on our menus, so basically without sharks, we would just see a large influx of different fish, taking out out species that we are used to seeing...

So, all in all, fish that we are used to seeing, would be replaced by other fish.... But when it comes to survival of the human race, I don't care if the amount of Red Fish gets low around here, because Tuna or Swordfish move in.... Its just the natural order.

Without the sharks, other large fish would flourish, providing us with the same amount of food. Just different species.

Out of all the sh** i have ever read about it, I have never seen a real, valid argument that explains negative impact on humans.

So, the real question is, would you rather have a bunch of sharks macking on fish all over our inshore waters, or would you want them filled with other, bountiful, non aggressive fish....

Oh no, the sharks are gone, and now there are too many fish???? I don't see a problem there.

 

Yeah Peajay, I hear ya. The thing that confuses me a bit is that "back in the day", seals and sharks were eliminated both haphazardly and purposely because both were a "nuisance" to commercial fisherman. So yes, the declining population of seals were both directly and indirectly responsible for the decline in sharks.

Laws protecting both species were propped up at the same time. Now we see hordes of seals and sea lions on jetties and spits where almost none existed. It's made walking and paddling to certain lineups a bit more dangerous (and stinky).

 

This is exactly how I feel. I just don't understand how important they are to our ecosystem. Kind of like the California Condor craze of the 1970's-1980's. I just don't see their importance.

 

I don't see the world's fishing population having any issue with an unlimited amount of work to be done. Ohh no, we need more fisherman to catch all these fish. Sounds like a perfect scenario for job creation