Hello,

     I wanted to share some photos. Many were taken 30 – 40 years past. The norms for this bygone era were no bag limits, no size limits and large sharks, 9 ft. plus, were not released. About 30 years ago commercial shark fishing burgeoned to meet the demand for meat and fins. Much of this catch was sold overseas, and shark meat was also popularized in the US market. Marine scientists made the case that coastal shark populations were falling dramatically. New laws and regulations were enacted to curtail harmful shark fishing catches and practices.

     My belief is that catching and keeping fish within size and bag limits is fine as fish are a great source of very healthy protein. But, any size fish can have its picture taken and then be released. If you want a “wall hanger”, all that is needed is the length since modern fish mounts are made from synthetics and no fish parts are used. Having personally released king mackeral and cobia weighing over 50 lbs. and sharks over 12 ft., the thought that they could reproduce and could be caught by another angler puts a smile on my face.

Calm seas,

Capt. Jay

• 

• 

•