Hello All,
Thanks to Greg for allowing us to insert external blog posts. I know I am stepping on Greg’s toes when I write this next sentence, but, I am going to do it anyways: Please don’t violate decorum by posting dozens of external blog posts on any issue, relevant or not, on this site. Sorry Greg, but that is my opinion.
I agree that sharks need worldwide management. I also believe that the tunas need comprehensive world wide management also. I wish that ICAT catch limits would be adhered to by all fisherman. ICAT is an acronym for International Commision on Atlantic Tunas. All of our tuna species are suffering to some degree. But, the Bluefin tuna is in big trouble.
Someday, I want to dive in a school of tuna. Big yellowfin tuna. Huge bluefin tuna. Bluefin have been caught that weighed 1,000 lbs. Yellowfin tuna have been caught that weigh 380 lbs. And they are all very fast swimmers; they are amazing. I am willing to risk my life diving in a school of tuna because it would be a dive of a lifetime...risk my life...what...yes, great white sharks and other species of sharks follow the tuna schools and eat the sick and crippled ones. Sharks can’t catch a healthy tuna as they are way to fast and manueverable.
We can SCUBA dive with tunas, we can sportfish for tunas, we can eat tunas if we rein in the over-harvesting that is occurring right now.
DON’T get me started on marlin. Marlin are the only apex predator that live in the ocean. SCUBA divers "feel" that sharks are the apex predators of the ocean; not true. Marlin can kill a healthy shark while a healthy shark can’t get close to a marlin. I have seen the two species in mortal combat before and the marlin wins. We need to properly manage commercial marlin fishing also.
Greg, please keep this site about SCUBA diving, and lets keep conservation issues from a personal perspective only.
Thanks,
markm