Florida Sets Major Precedent In Shark Conservation

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That is not a Photoshop trick, and I understand why that may not seem very relevant; without a little context, that is. I captured the image on November 16, 2011 in Key Largo Florida. Aside from being something you don't see every day; a hammerhead shark hanging from a crane several stories in the air with the International "Do Not" icon spray painted on its side, it's the timing that provides some ponderous meaning.

I spotted it while driving to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Meeting with my brother, Brooks, where the FWC would be voting on proposed rule changes that, if passed, would prohibit the recreational and commercial harvest, landing and sale of great, smooth and scalloped hammerheads, as well as tiger sharks in Florida's state waters. These major changes would no doubt have significant positive impacts on the long-term conservation of these animals. It could be said there was a lot Hanging in the Balance. Brooks and I made the 500-mile, same day round trip and hooked up down there with some of our key collaborators. We were all prepared to testify in front of the Commission, as to why we were in favor of the rule changes. For us and some others, it would be our third such meeting on the issue this year around the state.

This has been a hotly debated issue, but in the end, the Commission voted unanimously to pass the rule changes. We extend a special round of applause to the Commission for their careful deliberations of this matter, for taking our views and opinions into consideration, and for leveraging the kind of forward-thinking action and bold decision-making that will go far in establishing important conservation precedent. To all friends and collaborators who joined us and did more than just stand around to wait and see what others might do or what might happen, our hats off to you.

We'll double-check to make sure we get all the names spelled right, but for now, this is "The Crew"

As for the hammerhead image at the top of this entry, call it coincidence, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, then that is one of the most interesting shots I've had the pleasure of pushing the button on. Pretty much says it all.

One final note. It's on the official record, but we've had a lot of people ask exactly what it is that Brooks and I say at these meetings so we'll post a copy of it here and let you know when it's up. In the meantime, and in summary, "We do not condone purely wasteful practices". Here are a few more images from the meeting.

Sean Paxton delivers testimony, as part of a long list of those "in favor"

Brooks Paxton steps up

Zach Miller steps up ...

And the list of those in favor continued from what the Commission referred to as "many pages" of names. For the record, there was one opposed.

Shark Bro's Footage - NBC Today Show

Some Shark Bros' Think Out Loud Productions footage was used this morning on the NBC Today Show to help tell this bull shark attack story. Our buddies and long-time NBC Correspondent, Kerry Sanders & Producer / Videographer Vince Genova, were recently in town producing this piece about the recent incident. A special shout out to our friend, Dr. Bob Hueter, for reminding Kerry who to call when he needed a little bull shark footage. You'll see Dr. Bob's expertise featured in the piece.

Oh, yeah, on the whole sharks and responsible media reporting topic - another time. And on being surprised that a spearfishermen was bitten while spearfishing - another time, on that, too. Let's just all be happy about a happy ending for a change, ok?

As Always - Keep it W!LD - The Bros

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Shark Bros Support The Freedom to Read

What do the books: Gone With the Wind, For Whom The Bell Tolls and A Clockwork Orange all have in common? At one point, they were banned in some way, shape or form somewhere; in some cases, more profoundly than others. September 24 to October 1 is Banned Books Week - a National Celebration of the Freedom to Read.

My brother Brooks and I are big proponents of education, and of course, reading. As part of banned books week, we were invited by our local library, here in North Port, FL to take part in promoting all that and some censorship awareness. So here's the deal. The public voted for their favorite on a list of banned books, including the ones mentioned above. The most popular was picked to be read aloud by invited members of the community. The Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee grabbed the most votes. Some may remember the movie adaptation starring Gregory Peck. He won an Oscar for it.

We support our library whenever possible and this was an interesting opportunity to do so while giving censorship in America a run for its money. If you're looking for something different to do during your lunch hour today, come on down to the North Port Library. I'll be reading "To Kill A Mockingbird" from 12:30 - 1pm. Elaine Allen Emerich kicked it off this morning at 10:30. City Commissioners and prominent members of the business and local community will be taking pages till we close the book later this afternoon. -stp-

Juvenile White Shark - Venice, CaliFlorida?

This popped up on my facebook, thanks to good friend, Mike aka Mr. Bigfoot. The Youtube video claim speaks for itself. I'm not a marine biologist, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night and know what it looks like. Grey on top, white on bottom, caudal keel, etc., etc. It would only be very welcome and interesting news here on the SW Florida coast or is that Venice, California? Depite the vague Youtube post and conflicting early Google hits, a closer look at the pier -- and all the surfers means the left coast did make more sense. Anyhoo, and either way, hats off to those involved in releasing what appears to be a her back to the wild -- a refreshing change from what we saw carried out recently in California.

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What Are Your $harks Worth?

After somewhat of a cliffhanger at the recent FWC meeting in Naples, I took some time to digest it all before making the point here. My brother Brooks and I would like to thank Josh Olive, Editor of The Waterline Magazine, for inviting this commentary and opinion. Here's a little background on the article.

Much to the surprise of those in attendance earlier this month at the FWC meeting, a ban on the recreational and commercial harvest of tiger sharks, as well as smooth, scalloped and great hammerhead sharks is still very much undecided by those in power, but it was compelling public testimony from both sides of the issue that made it so. With a scant three minutes of allowable testimony, per speaker, it can be a challenge addressing complex issues like this. Somehow every word has to count. In this case, as the discussion was winding down, the subject veered into areas that I would describe as having divergent relevance. At that point, when all you can do is listen, it can be hard resisting the temptation to scratch a hole in your head.

So here we are again, standing at the crossroads of another important wildlife management issue, here in Florida. Taking the stage and stealing the spotlight, as they often do, are some of our most prized and invaluable marine resources – sharks, and the State's proposal of increased protective measure for 4 key species. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission will be slamming the gavel on this matter in November. It’s time to ask the question, “What Are Your $harks Worth?”

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