13 Jan 04
Originally posted by latex bishopIve always said to my misses that if I was to come back in another life, id come back as a Great White Shark. Simply awesome. I watch a documentary on them one night and as the cameraman turned round, one ate his camera out of his hand! They say that even for the most experianced hardened divers, that swimming with Great Whites off the coast of South Africa is the ultimate rush. Jaws was enough to scare me thank you very much!!!
Is anyone else facinated by sharks and shark attacks?
Andrew
13 Jan 04
My SO is deathly afraid of the water because of fish... especially sharks. So she won't go in the water, unless it is a fish free pool.
I told her, "If it is your fate to be killed by a shark it will happen no matter where you are... you could be walking in the woods and get attacked by a shark."
I am sure that made her feel better.
P-
13 Jan 04
Originally posted by zakkwyldergood point. sharks have a lot more to be concerned about considering the attacks by humans on them by various direct and indirect means. in 2003, the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) added 185 Chondrichthyans (sharks species) to the endangered red list (http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Organizations/SSG/ssgchond.htm)
The odds of being bitten by a shark are 1 in 281,000,000.
according to the National Shark Research Consortium:
"Worldwide there is an average of 50-70 shark attacks every year. The number of attacks has been increasing over the decades as a result of increased human populations and the use of the oceans for recreational activity. As long as humans continue to enter the sharks' environment, there will be shark attacks." ( http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/nsrc/Attack.html#chance)
in fact, the chances of being bitten by a dog are apparently 45 times greater.
here is a link to many shark sites http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/sharks.htm
of these, the NRSC is possibly the most thorough, but they are all very informatinve and interesting, for anyone who has been 'bitten' by sharks 🙂
in friendship,
prad
13 Jan 04
Speaking of nature conservation... Do you know how you catch a Marlin if one happen's to bite if you are in a rubber dingy?
If one happens to bite and you are in a dingy there is no way that you can reel it in. What you do is THIS take the boat as close as possible to the fish, wait a while and let it swallow the line, once the bait is in its stomach then you go full steam ahead. What this will do is to rip out the Marlins stomach and intestines, making the fight a walk over for the good guys. And vwallha, you have an awesome dead animal to stick on your wall!
13 Jan 04
Originally posted by Black Lungof course, it is for these sorts of attitudes and actions by various interests groups that conservation and protection laws have become, both necessary and prevalent as more people become aware of the problems.
Speaking of nature conservation... Do you know how you catch a Marlin if one happen's to bite if you are in a rubber dingy?
...
And vwallha, you have an awesome dead animal to stick on your wall!
when the attempt was made to put the marlin on the endangered species list, the 'sport and recreational' factions protested that it was the commercial fisheries that were doing the damage (see Herb Moore, RFA Response http://www.billfishnetwork.com/article/A121ConsvNews.asp). of course, the otherside would no doubt claim that recreational fishing contributes nothing to the human food crisis and that commercial fishing interests would be irreconcibly damaged if the fish were protected. (of course, neither party takes into account the marlins' perspective, because fish communications apparently cannot as yet be sufficiently comprehended).
an interesting report came out in 2002 regarding this:
"One of big game fishing's saltwater icons, the white marlin, may be hooked by the federal endangered species list this month. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is expected to announce its decision on whether this premier open-ocean fish warrants inclusion under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The agency says white marlin have been overfished for 30 years and mortality is seven times higher than acceptable levels. In the Atlantic, the population is less than 15% of what it should be for fishing to continue. It is already illegal for U.S. commercial fishermen to harvest the white marlin, or its cousin, the blue marlin, and if caught, the fish are to be released alive.
Endangered status would mean white marlin would be off-limits to recreational angling as well, even to catch-and-release fishing. That could put a serious crimp in the offshore charter boat business throughout U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters. And instead of hauling in thousands of dollars for trophy fish, tournament anglers hooking a white marlin could land $100,000 fines."
don't know where the decision stands presently - neither do the marlins, i suspect.
in friendship,
prad