06-16-2003, 02:22 PM
[cool]That raises an interesting question for us float tubers. What if we get munched by a great white, and our gear sticks in its throat and kills it. Would we be subject to a fine for killing our killer?
Seriously, it's a shame to lose any individual member of an endangered species like the great white. For too many years all the macho trophy hunters slaughtered these slow-reproducing sharks in the interest of showing off, and for the trophy jaws. Any wonder why there are so many pinnipeds (sea lions) around to harrass the fishermen?
This story is not unlike the situation with giant black sea bass. The young of the species are spotted and do not look like the solid dark colored adults. More than a few are kept and killed by pier anglers and inshore small boaters who do not realize what they have caught. When one comes aboard a sportfisher, the crew usually recognize it and insist that it be returned to the water. I have seen a couple of citations and confiscations resulting from unknowingly keeping small black see bass.
TubeDude
[signature]
Seriously, it's a shame to lose any individual member of an endangered species like the great white. For too many years all the macho trophy hunters slaughtered these slow-reproducing sharks in the interest of showing off, and for the trophy jaws. Any wonder why there are so many pinnipeds (sea lions) around to harrass the fishermen?
This story is not unlike the situation with giant black sea bass. The young of the species are spotted and do not look like the solid dark colored adults. More than a few are kept and killed by pier anglers and inshore small boaters who do not realize what they have caught. When one comes aboard a sportfisher, the crew usually recognize it and insist that it be returned to the water. I have seen a couple of citations and confiscations resulting from unknowingly keeping small black see bass.
TubeDude
[signature]