Venice Over Hunted?

[cdreamer]

Capt. Steve runs an excellent, top notch operation. I've been out a couple of times in May
and came home with hundreds of small teeth and a few megs. No one in our group was disappointed, everyone did well and had a good time. My 13 year old stepdaughter even found a nice meg.

[DixieDolphin]

The way I look at it is like this:

Given that sharks & rays are constantly losing and replacing teeth, it's possible to speculate that a single animal may produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 to 20,000 (or more, as I've seen estimates closer to 50,000 -- but I'm going with a more conservative number for sake of example) teeth in its lifetime. Figure that there were, in prehistoric times, probably quite a large number of sharks each year out there. Figure that all those sharks were losing and regrowing thousands upon thousands of teeth. Then figure that we're talking about a period of millions of years in which these fossil deposits come from. That's a lot of sharks!

Even if only a small percentage of those teeth were actually fossilized, you're still talking about an /awful lot of teeth/! While there are, of course, a finite number of teeth fossilized out there... I speculate that fossil collectors haven't even put a dent in the total number. Perhaps the upper most layers of sand and sediment may be a bit thinner on teeth than before.. or even covered up by those renourishment projects.. but given time and eroding wave action, I'd imagine further deposits will eventually come to the surface.

But that's simply my inexpert opinion. =)

[sglake]

Well for an inexpert opinion I like it!

[Sh@rkW@tcher]

The way I look at it is like this:

Given that sharks & rays are constantly losing and replacing teeth, it's possible to speculate that a single animal may produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 to 20,000 (or more, as I've seen estimates closer to 50,000 -- but I'm going with a more conservative number for sake of example) teeth in its lifetime. Figure that there were, in prehistoric times, probably quite a large number of sharks each year out there. Figure that all those sharks were losing and regrowing thousands upon thousands of teeth. Then figure that we're talking about a period of millions of years in which these fossil deposits come from. That's a lot of sharks!

Even if only a small percentage of those teeth were actually fossilized, you're still talking about an /awful lot of teeth/! While there are, of course, a finite number of teeth fossilized out there... I speculate that fossil collectors haven't even put a dent in the total number. Perhaps the upper most layers of sand and sediment may be a bit thinner on teeth than before.. or even covered up by those renourishment projects.. but given time and eroding wave action, I'd imagine further deposits will eventually come to the surface.

But that's simply my inexpert opinion. =)

Thanks Laurel, you very expertly expanded on and explained my earlier statements.

[CBulla]

Two great posts that saved me a LOT of typing.

To expound briefly, Florida is literally littered with millions of years of fossil treasures. Reality being even the indiginous tribes who inhabited the regions sought out these fossils for their own collecting and use, namely as weapons and jewlery.

Enjoy fossiling, please just respect the living environment while doing it

[Walter]

Another point to consider. Wave action digs up these fossils. They become uncovered regardless of what we do. After they are uncovered, we can pick them up or let wave action grind them to sand.

[CoolTech]

Another point to consider. Wave action digs up these fossils. They become uncovered regardless of what we do. After they are uncovered, we can pick them up or let wave action grind them to sand.

Excellent point! I have more meg pieces than I have full meg teeth... By about ten to one... I need to get out there more, before the megs area broken up...

Truth be told... I find new areas every time I dive from the beach... I cleared an area out in four dives one day.... Went to the same area for four dives the very next day and found more teeth than I did the day before... current, tide, beach renovation... they all play a part... The area itself, plays a big part.

[Steve Thacker]

One more item - most of my customers know that I am a retired geologist (hydrogeologist) - a fact that is amazing to me is that the most common vertebrate fossil found in the fossil record, world wide, are sharks teeth. I understand the sand tiger shark has been on this planet for 40 million years! You can find them on every dive off of Venice, and then travel to North Carolina and dive the wreck of the Papoose and find modern sand tigers in the sand around the wreck as well as many of them just "hanging around."

[Walter]

8 years is not that long.....

True, but Steve wasn't the original owner either. I don't know how long it's been in operation, but I've been using that shop for quite a bit longer than 8 years.

[Faust]

I've been diving Venice since the late 80's /Early 90's . And over the years interest in the area as far a fossling goes seems to run in cycles along with the quantity in quality of the finds. I am by no means saying that the teeth are infinite but , keep in mind that for the most part folks don't dive years round because of weather / water conditions , so what being taken is a small amount compared to what is there. Even over a 20 year period of diving Venice the truly big finds are rare by comparison ,meg's in the 3-4 inch range are fairly common , but from what I've seen ( and found) when you start talking about teeth 5 inches or over I only know a handful of folks that have them in their collections.