Lost fish to shark yesterday.

[lemke]

Blacktips are good eating too... Grouper sammiches for lunch, shark steaks for dinner!

 

[Humpinit]

Private boat or charter boat ?

My boat.

---------- Post added July 1st, 2014 at 07:46 AM ----------

10' deep? freediving? get the fish out of the water ASAP. bucket on a float (think big boogie board) or similar.

Good idea. I think just by keeping someone in the boat circling would be good enough. We were on a family fun day with wife daughter and son so we were anchored. Not really a hardcore spearing trip, we were kinda like in the mind set that if you shoot something we shot something but no big priority.

 

[Humpinit]

Heres a screen pic of the shark taken with an iphone from the screen. Gopro software not working for some reason.

 

[Humpinit]

Blacktips are good eating too... Grouper sammiches for lunch, shark steaks for dinner!

Next time it will get shot. Every time I got my spear tip close enough to jab it it would haul azz. Im still not convinced that it was a black tip. Alot of the video doesnt show black tips on the tail and dorsal. Im gonna try and get our gopro software working today and get some more pics up later for a fish id.

 

[drrich2]

Poke them repeatedly in the face and gills while yelling. If that doesn't work, a freeshaft to the gills or a PPD to the body. Better a dead shark then a dead diver.
Otherwise, you are training them to attack the next diver who may not see them coming.

While most would agree that killing a shark in self-defense is acceptable, I was surprised at the notion that it's better to kill a shark that let it make off with your fish. That said, I'm not a spear fisher and I'm not very familiar with the culture of spear fishing.

Is this sentiment pretty universal amongst spear fishermen?

I bring up the question because of the wide-spread bemoaning of greatly depleted shark populations, losses to long-lining, shark nets and shark finning, damage to the ecosystem via removal of these predators, etc...

I'm not dropping in as a point-of-view warrior on either side of the potential debate; I just want to know what the 'group think' on it is.

Richard.

 

[Humpinit]

While most would agree that killing a shark in self-defense is acceptable, I was surprised at the notion that it's better to kill a shark that let it make off with your fish. That said, I'm not a spear fisher and I'm not very familiar with the culture of spear fishing.

Is this sentiment pretty universal amongst spear fishermen?

I bring up the question because of the wide-spread bemoaning of greatly depleted shark populations, losses to long-lining, shark nets and shark finning, damage to the ecosystem via removal of these predators, etc...

I'm not dropping in as a point-of-view warrior on either side of the potential debate; I just want to know what the 'group think' on it is.

Richard.

I can only speak for myself. I would never kill anything unless I am in fear for my life or someone else's life. There is no shortage of fish on the east or west coast of fl. That doesn't mean we should kill them.

 

[lemke]

I would consider myself lucky if a Blacktip showed up. However, unless you're set up with a floatline, and the shark is a "reasonable" size, it's best to leave the scene and take your losses. The sharks that show up typically when I'm spearing are Sand and Bulls... I just stay out of their way.

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

I hunt off of Elliott Key a lot. I can assure you, it is VERY sharkey. Lots have said it, but I'll reiterate, do not give up your catch. If you do, they will absolutely come back for more. The boat should have been a lot closer and ready to pick up any catch.

No, hunters don't typically shoot sharks in defense. It does happen, but that is the exception. A shaft in a shark usually doesn't affect it much, a powerhead on the other hand... Well, hunters carry them, but rarely use them. Pro hunters are in pairs and watch eachother's backs. If one is stringing a fish or something, the other will watch and fend off sharks. Usually a couple jabs to the snout will keep them at bay, but sometimes you just have to get out of the water.

There's a bunch of great spearing clubs in S. FL. Always easy to find knowledgeable buddies to learn from.

 

[Hank49]

While most would agree that killing a shark in self-defense is acceptable, I was surprised at the notion that it's better to kill a shark that let it make off with your fish. That said, I'm not a spear fisher and I'm not very familiar with the culture of spear fishing.

Is this sentiment pretty universal amongst spear fishermen?

Richard.

No it's not universal. I was just reading a thread on Speardiver.com about this same thing. All free diver spearos and all had different ideas how to handle it.

Personally I try to fend off the sharks I see if they come in close, with a yell underwater or a poke with my gun. I've never shot a shark…..yet.
But I've lost fish to sharks that come in so fast and tear it apart on the spear that there isn't a damn thing you can do.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

While most would agree that killing a shark in self-defense is acceptable, I was surprised at the notion that it's better to kill a shark that let it make off with your fish. That said, I'm not a spear fisher and I'm not very familiar with the culture of spear fishing.

Is this sentiment pretty universal amongst spear fishermen?

I bring up the question because of the wide-spread bemoaning of greatly depleted shark populations, losses to long-lining, shark nets and shark finning, damage to the ecosystem via removal of these predators, etc...

I'm not dropping in as a point-of-view warrior on either side of the potential debate; I just want to know what the 'group think' on it is.

Richard.

In Florida you are not allowed to spear sharks for food or to land any speared sharks. You can shoot anyone or anything in self defense (more or less) in Florida, sharks included.

In the places where I dive in Florida, Atlantic and Gulf, there has been a HUGE increase in sharks. They are well protected and have been for some time. The frequency of interaction with sharks now versus 20 years ago is probably up by a factor of 15 times for me.

They represent a real problem with stealing fish and I have had to fight them off. I have seen on more than one occasion a shark coming after a diver and ignoring the fish they shot. Sharks are a major concern for me when I dive.

When one or two sharks come around the best response is to go after them. Be aggressive and try very hard to stab them with the speargun. This is unlikely to cause any injury unless you hit a few delicate spots. Generally they will back off after a poke or two. Some people carry explosive tips for their guns, they will severely injure the shark and will allow the spearshaft to be preserved. Other people will cut the line from the spear (if they have one) and shoot the shark in the head or gills and this will kill it (eventually) . a shaft costs $30 to $150, so we do not want to waste them on a pesky shark. I could shoot shafts into hundreds of large, dangerous sharks each year, if that was something I had a desire to do (or could afford).

Sharks are typically pretty cautious (more so around scuba than freedivers) and will usually not rush in on the fish, but they can and will sometimes. Normally, aggressive action, physically protecting the shot fish, team work between buddies and then sending the fish to the surface with an SMB (for pick up by the boat) will prevent most losses.

Sharks are smart, they will work together, they will come from behind, they will act different when they know you are watching them. they will become emboldened from the presence of other sharks and will become competitive and increasingly reckless. They are very aware of their numbers versus the size of the dive team.. Several wound up sharks versus a solo spearfisherman is not a very controllable situation. 3 divers working together to watch and defend fish from a single shark is very different. The diver wants to be aware of the sharks body language, behavior and other important signs to decide to stay and play or bail. Also, the size and species of the shark makes a huge difference as well.

The general feeling is that we try to not feed sharks. Once fed they become MORE aggressive and most people feel that habituating them to being fed is extremely dangerous. If they learn to feed off a fish stringer with no fear, another diver is quite likely to shoot it.

I have had many hundreds of encounters with sharks that were interested in me and or my fish. I have shot and killed one shark, it was a 100% necessity I think. When a shark is rushing in at you, you only have a split second to determine if you think he will veer off at the last second or will keep coming in on you. It is an emergency and you have to make incredibly quick decisions. Often the sharks will take a fish from the speargun shaft, so fast there is nothing you can do about it. Other times they come in so hard and fast, you can only instinctively poke or push or punch them away.

So your question of: is it better to kill a shark than allow it to eat your fish is vastly over-simplified?

The questions are.. can killing it prevent it from eating your fish (or is it over before you had a chance to do anything about it)?
Do you have a powerhead or is it worth wasting a shaft on the shark?
Do you want to be responsible for training a shark to harass divers or is it more responsible to kill a dangerous shark?
Are you feeling that the shark is physically challenging you?
Has it slammed into you?
Has it made several progressively closer and more aggressive passes at you?
Is it twitching, waving his pectoral fin at you, swimming fast and erratically, are the pecs down, is his nose wagging back and forth, is he performing a vertical attack maneuver?
Are you holding your breath on a freedive at 60 or 80 feet and do you feel he may chase and will attack when you escape for the surface and a breath of much needed air?
Is it large enough to kill you with one small bite?
Is it a nurse shark or something REALLY dangerous?

Shooting a shark with a speargun costs as much as throwing a dive mask at it.. I'm pretty cheap and i don't normally bother with powerheads. If the sharks are a problem, I am pissed and generally leave ASAP.