A campaign that’s underway in South Florida to stop a shark tournament that’s scheduled to take place July 9 in Riviera Beach is getting a great deal of attention.Watch the full story in the video player above.The main issue: the bull shark population.A protest happened Saturday. Organizers said the tournament is only designed to kill as many sharks as possible but event officials said the shark population needs to be managed and they hope the tournament will bring it to the public’s attention. Capt. Jason, who’s helping to organize the tournament, said it’s impacting their livelihood. “Any boat that comes out and parks on the local reef you immediately have 10 to 12 sharks under your boat every second or every time you go out there and fish,” Capt. Jason said. “You can’t bring a fish up to the boat anymore because it gets eaten the second you get hooked.”Fishing expert Robert ‘Fly’ Navarro said what’s needed is additional management to address the population of sharks here in the southeast United States.“What we’re doing is bringing it to the forefront,” Navarro said. There’s a little bit of an imbalance of our shark stock and we would like our federal government to do a shark assessment.”Local shark diver Elise Herbert is helping with the protest.“I can understand that that is frustrating for them but we can’t remove this vital ocean predator and expect there not to be repercussions,” Herbert said. Shark expert and conservationist Jim Abernathy said healthy oceans and sharks maintain the health and balance of our oceans.“No other animal in the history of our planet has ever been wiped out in such significant numbers as sharks are by humans,” Abernathy said. “There’s a worldwide collapse and this is going to turn our beautiful oceans into a vast empty ocean of just jellyfish.” The FWC issued the following statement:”Florida is a leader in shark conservation and understands these apex predators are vital to the health of marine ecosystems in our state and throughout the world. We are committed to maintaining healthy and sustainable shark populations in Florida in coordination with our state and federal partners.”We are aware of an advertised shark-fishing tournament scheduled for southeast Florida on July 9. Fishing tournaments in Florida do not require approval by the FWC; however, they must comply with state and federal fishing regulations. As fishing tournaments do not require permission from FWC, FWC does not have the authority to “cancel” fishing tournaments. FWC does not sponsor such events but may communicate with tournament officials regarding marine fisheries regulations, best practices, or opportunities for scientific data or samples to be obtained through tournament activities.””FWC Law Enforcement is also aware of the tournament and will continue to patrol and protect the waters and resources of the state. Officers will incorporate these activities into their daily patrol plan and as usual, will take appropriate action to address any violations that are discovered.”Shark regulations vary by species and can include gear requirements and restrictions, minimum length limits, and bag and vessel limits. For recreational and commercial fishermen in state waters, the bag for sharks that are legal to harvest is one per person with a maximum of two sharks per vessel and a minimum size limit for most species. Current management allows for sustainable commercial and recreational harvest while continuing to provide protection and measures to help end overfishing and rebuild shark populations. To read more detailed information on state regulations, click here.”U.S. shark fisheries are some of the most sustainable in the world. It’s a common misconception that all sharks are endangered. No sharks off Florida are listed as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. It’s true that overfishing, habitat loss, and other practices have greatly depleted some shark populations. But thanks to decades of strict fishery management, shark populations in the United States are on the rebound. More information on stock status for various species can be found in FWC’s 2021 Overview of Shark Management in Florida.”
A campaign that’s underway in South Florida to stop a shark tournament that’s scheduled to take place July 9 in Riviera Beach is getting a great deal of attention.
Watch the full story in the video player above.
The main issue: the bull shark population.
A protest happened Saturday.
Organizers said the tournament is only designed to kill as many sharks as possible but event officials said the shark population needs to be managed and they hope the tournament will bring it to the public’s attention.
Capt. Jason, who’s helping to organize the tournament, said it’s impacting their livelihood.
“Any boat that comes out and parks on the local reef you immediately have 10 to 12 sharks under your boat every second or every time you go out there and fish,” Capt. Jason said. “You can’t bring a fish up to the boat anymore because it gets eaten the second you get hooked.”
Fishing expert Robert ‘Fly’ Navarro said what’s needed is additional management to address the population of sharks here in the southeast United States.
“What we’re doing is bringing it to the forefront,” Navarro said. There’s a little bit of an imbalance of our shark stock and we would like our federal government to do a shark assessment.”
Local shark diver Elise Herbert is helping with the protest.
“I can understand that that is frustrating for them but we can’t remove this vital ocean predator and expect there not to be repercussions,” Herbert said.
Shark expert and conservationist Jim Abernathy said healthy oceans and sharks maintain the health and balance of our oceans.
“No other animal in the history of our planet has ever been wiped out in such significant numbers as sharks are by humans,” Abernathy said. “There’s a worldwide collapse and this is going to turn our beautiful oceans into a vast empty ocean of just jellyfish.”
The FWC issued the following statement:
“Florida is a leader in shark conservation and understands these apex predators are vital to the health of marine ecosystems in our state and throughout the world. We are committed to maintaining healthy and sustainable shark populations in Florida in coordination with our state and federal partners.
“We are aware of an advertised shark-fishing tournament scheduled for southeast Florida on July 9. Fishing tournaments in Florida do not require approval by the FWC; however, they must comply with state and federal fishing regulations. As fishing tournaments do not require permission from FWC, FWC does not have the authority to “cancel” fishing tournaments. FWC does not sponsor such events but may communicate with tournament officials regarding marine fisheries regulations, best practices, or opportunities for scientific data or samples to be obtained through tournament activities.”
“FWC Law Enforcement is also aware of the tournament and will continue to patrol and protect the waters and resources of the state. Officers will incorporate these activities into their daily patrol plan and as usual, will take appropriate action to address any violations that are discovered.
“Shark regulations vary by species and can include gear requirements and restrictions, minimum length limits, and bag and vessel limits. For recreational and commercial fishermen in state waters, the bag for sharks that are legal to harvest is one per person with a maximum of two sharks per vessel and a minimum size limit for most species. Current management allows for sustainable commercial and recreational harvest while continuing to provide protection and measures to help end overfishing and rebuild shark populations. To read more detailed information on state regulations, click here.
“U.S. shark fisheries are some of the most sustainable in the world. It’s a common misconception that all sharks are endangered. No sharks off Florida are listed as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. It’s true that overfishing, habitat loss, and other practices have greatly depleted some shark populations. But thanks to decades of strict fishery management, shark populations in the United States are on the rebound. More information on stock status for various species can be found in FWC’s 2021 Overview of Shark Management in Florida.”
