Shark fisherman defies protesters

[John Gulliver]

Further to Steve's excellent post, read this:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary....e=nasus
Note especially "Resilience: Very low" and "Red list status".
If the guy keeps taking them up at the present rate, the problem will solve itself. The Cornish population of porbeagles will be wiped out  

[Dr Stevil]

Cheers John, very kind of you to say so, and topically from D.net UN adopts resolution

[Lou]

Well, well, well.....lookie here......

If you want to know what "The Prevail" looks like, or Mr Ellis, or even call him and discuss the downside of shark fishing - here's the info.

Find a fishing boat

[MATTBIN]

Daz
spot on, remember the name and possibly the boat, I for one would steer clear of him on future trips to Cornwall.

If he's a skint fisherman why doesnt he charter for divers instead, I dare say he could make a living, possibly not £7k a time though.

Because we dont break the law doesnt mean we are doing good.

A very sad Matt  

ps nice one Lou, nice looking boat (not).

[Finless]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (John Gulliver @ Dec. 04 2003,15:02)]Further to Steve's excellent post, read this:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary....e=nasus
Note especially "Resilience: Very low" and "Red list status".
If the guy keeps taking them up at the present rate, the problem will solve itself. The Cornish population of porbeagles will be wiped out  

John,

Tried to follow the link but was requested to give a password.

Bryan

[John Gulliver]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Finless @ Dec. 04 2003,17:21)]

John,

Tried to follow the link but was requested to give a password.

Bryan

OK. Bryan here is what it says:

FishBase name: Porbeagle
Max. size:   350 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 4645); max. published weight: 230.0 kg (Ref. 40637); max. reported age: 30 years
Environment:   pelagic; oceanodromous; marine ; depth range 0 - 715 m
Climate: temperate; 2 - 18°C; 72°N - 55°S
Importance:   fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience:   Very low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.12; tm=5; tmax=30; Fec=1-5)
Distribution:  
Gazetteer Amphitemperate. Western Atlantic: Newfoundland, Cananda to New Jersey USA; possibly southern Brazil to Argentina. Eastern Atlantic: Iceland and western Barents Sea to South Africa, including the Mediterranean. Southwest Pacific: Australia and New Zealand. Southeast Pacific: Chile. Antarctic: off South Georgia and Kerguelen Is. Southern Indian Ocean (Ref. 6871).
Diagnosis:   Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0. A stout, spindle-shaped shark with large black eyes, a sharp, conical snout, and small, smooth-edged, narrow teeth with side cusps (Ref. 5578). Dark grey above, white below, without blotches (Ref. 6581); rear tip of 1st dorsal abruptly white (Ref. 5578).
Biology:   Most abundant on continental offshore fishing banks but also found far from land in ocean basins and occasionally close inshore (Ref. 247). Found singly and in schools and feeding aggregations (Ref. 247). Feeds on small pelagic schooling fishes, other sharks, and squid (Ref. 5578. Regarded as potentially dangerous to people because of its size and activity but has never or very seldom been indicted in an attack on people or boats (Ref. 247). Utilized fresh, dried/salted and frozen for human consumption; for oil and fishmeal; fins for shak-fin soup (Ref. 247). May be pan-fried and broiled (Ref. 9988)
Red List Status:   , Stevens, J. , (Ref. 36508) , A very wide-ranging species (albeit with apparently little exchange between neighbouring populations), but with a low reproductive capacity and high commercial value. Taken both in target and incidental fisheries. Global populations are not proven to have been depleted to a level where they qualify for a Vulnerable status. However, North Atlantic populations have been seriously over-exploited in longline fisheries, although the introduction of management for US and Canadian shark fisheries should reverse the serious decline in this stock. The apparent lack of exchange between populations on each side of the North Atlantic has resulted in separate assessments for the western and eastern stocks.

[daz]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (MATTBIN @ Dec. 04 2003,16:14)]nice looking boat (not).

Yep nothing that a match and petrol couldn't put right...

I am quite willing to donate the petrol and what the hell, even the match.

Daz

[Justin Owen]

In all seriousness - what can be done about this idiot? Is it worth emailing the council with a petition to boycott the area if they allow this practice to go on...?

[Chris Hall]

<font color='#728FCE'>As with all fisherman, the blame for lack of fish in the sea is because of other factors. They must go through life wearing looking out through rose coloured glass.

Pressure needs to be brought to bear on the local authority, the goverment(some hope there! )
and this man. Why don't we start a campagin to tell him that we don't like what he is doing. His phone numder is on that webpage that Lou found.

We are divers, where will our hobby/sport/job be if all the sharks disappear. I, for one, think that sharks are amazing creatures and we as a race are doing our usual trick of wiping out another species.

Nothing else on this plant does this, so why do we!! IT IS TIME WE STOPPED!!

So write to your MP, MEP, dive assocation, dive shop, radio station, local TV station and get it stopped.

Now is the time to stand up and be counted!

Good luck.

PS Ohhh! It makes me sooooooooooo angry!

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Finless @ Dec. 04 2003,13:34)]I am no marine biologist but I would guess that catching 129 porbeagle sharks would have more impact on their viability as a species than catching 129 mackerel. Are they a very prolific shark? Why was he able to catch so many?

To the YD conservationist crusaders I would say don't forget the man in question has done nothing illegal and is just pursuing his livelihood. At least he is line fishing rather than drift or drag netting. Please note I was also shocked at the numbers he caught and it doesn't seem &quot;the proper thing to have done&quot; but I am somewhat taken aback by the vindictiveness of most posts.

I don’t know enough to know if 129 sharks are a large proportion or just a drop in the ocean. Nor do I know the fisherman – maybe he deserves the vilification he is receiving, maybe he is a struggling fisherman who has just received a financial lifeline.

It would seem that conservation and capitalism don’t work well together. Mind you, from what I have learned, it is just humans that are the problem – whatever the system.

Good comments

I feel much the same way. I dont know enough to judge the man. I know I hate scalop dredgers and massive drift nets that just hoover up the oceian and kill everything in their path but long line fishing has escaped my vitriol as at least its target specific. I eat fish so I cant be too damming but I never buy scallops unless I know they were caught by divers. Its a small protest but my harts in the right place.

So sorry I wont be vandalising his boat any time soon. But if any one wants to scupper a scallop dredger Im your man.



Mark Chase