"Dude, is that a fin?" redux

[Nords]

Yesterday a hammerhead came ashore at Kailua Beach.

Rumor has it that the shark was caught in a net just offshore early in the morning and was in the process of giving birth.* The fisherman assisted in the birth of 3 shark pups, released them into the bay, and then dragged the mother shark to shore to cut the net away.* Unfortunately the shark died.*

I think we all remember what happened next in thatdramatic tour-de-force masterpiece "Orca".* I'm talking about the shark's performance, not Bo Derek's.

Hammerheads don't usually hang out in sandy shallow waters, but they do give birth in bays & estuaries where the young can hide & grow.* Kailua Beach is an immensly popular Windward beach for windsurfing & kitesurfing due to its tradewind breezes, but I think I'll be sticking to the south shore...

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Nords,

I heard a while back that sharks were pretty fished out around Hawaii. People had been going after them so vigorously that they ain't there no' mo'. Heard that there was a movement to stop shark fishing for a while there.

True?

Not true?

Thanks.

Ed

[BUM]

Late last summer 3 surfer dudes quickly got out of the water. They suggested I do the same because they had spotted a shark. I asked if they were going to alert the surfers downbeach..."Nah".

[riskadverse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUM Late last summer 3 surfer dudes quickly got out of the water. They suggested I do the same because they had spotted a shark.* I asked if they were going to alert the surfers downbeach..."Nah".

Locals Only!

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy Nords, I heard a while back that sharks were pretty fished out around Hawaii.* People had been going after them so vigorously that they ain't there no' mo'.* Heard that there was a movement to stop shark fishing for a while there. True? Not true? Thanks. Ed

Sharks as a whole hae been massively overfished for many years. It is extremely stupid. Shark fishing should be greatly reduced, IMO.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy I heard a while back that sharks were pretty fished out around Hawaii.* People had been going after them so vigorously that they ain't there no' mo'.* Heard that there was a movement to stop shark fishing for a while there.

Swordfish & honu have spent more time in the news than sharks, although we get a sharkbite or two every year. The honu & monk seals have come roaring back from the brink of 1970s extinction so now the sharks spend more time around the beaches.

I don't think anyone's legally fishing Hawaii for sharks but a lot of critters get trapped during netting. Everyone gripes about it but the fish markets are still full of customers. There's a strong cultural demand around here for shark-fin soup (and no doubt other parts as well) so I'm sure there's a brisk black market.

The photos actually came from Mike Stott, a realtor. I haven't seen anything in the local papers yet although people always suspect the Hawaii Visitors & Conventions Bureau of suppressing this sort of news.

White Plains Beach has a flat, sandy bottom. Even a couple hundred yards out the water's only about six feet deep. Sharks hate that environment-- apparently it messes with their senses or their gills-- so White Plains hasn't had a shark sighting since the '40s. But when the local monk seal buzzes through the lineup heading for the beach it sure raises the pucker factor!

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords (and no doubt other parts as well)

Actually, demand for shark fin soup results in a lot of sharks being caught, having fins hacked off and then being dumped back into the water.

[JB]

Thanks for the reminder Nords!

Last week some teenagers were freediving off Lanai and encountered a reef shark moving around erratically. One of the boys poked at the shark which promptly turned around a bit him in the knee.

Killing sharks is a no-no among the Hawaiians. They possess 'the mana'. A few years ago a friend who's a lifeguard dragged a large dead tiger shark onto the beach. Some locals got very upset and he wasn't sure what to do. They ended up towing the shark offshore and having a blessing.

Last week a cow fell off a cliff near Hookipa Beach and was eaten by sharks. I biked down there and watched the rescue workers being lowered into the water so they could search for the carcass. There weren't many surfers out that day.