Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Targeting Sawfish - WTF!

The caption reads BADASS - really? 

And I cite.
The ESA and its implementing regulations set forth a series of general prohibitions that apply to all endangered wildlife.
The prohibitions of section 9 of the ESA, in part, make it illegal for any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to take (to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct), to import into, or export from, the United States, to ship in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of commercial activity, or to sell or offer for sale in interstate or foreign commerce any endangered wildlife. 
Repeated here, with handling recommendations.
So how can this shit be acceptable, and why are the media reporting it as some kind of a "feat".  Although the post release mortality is so far unknown, those prolonged fights exert tremendous stress on the animals, meaning that their fitness is certainly reduced. Plus, this is very much intentional targeting, meaning that considering the definition by ESA, this is most likely illegal.

Action anybody?

4 comments:

Hammer said...

First of all, this was over a year ago, this is not the catch being reported now. Second, the fish were caught unintentionally from a 40ft high bridge in a 20ft deep mud channel at night time that has no lights, unless you consider that sight fishing for bottom feeders, they are unintentional catches.Thirdly, this picture is copyrighted by my website, all rights reserved unless otherwise specified. Have a good one

-Team Rebel Fishing

DaShark said...

Oh yes, NOW I see.

And I I cite.

"The next day, Miller’s friend and custom rod builder Peter Barrett jokingly mocked him for not subduing the sawfish. In return, Miller invited him to meet on the same bridge the following evening to see if they could find another one, knowing the odds were extremely slim."
...
"After two big fights in a row, Miller was spent, and almost talked himself into throwing in the towel and fishing for bull sharks or something else. A comment on his Facebook page encouraging him to go back changed his mind, even though he knew his chances of hooking up with a sawfish for a third night in a row were practically nonexistant."

That was last year.
The first may have been unintentional - the other two, not so much.

Congrats!

And now - different bridge?

Hammer said...

I can say I want to have sex with Maria Sharapova tonight too and it doesn't mean its going to happen. The only place it is plausible to specifically target sawfish is in South West Fl in the 10,000 islands and Flamingo regions. Lightning doesn't normally strike more than once, it was a scientific anomolie, which was reported to state and Federal scientists and biologist by us. I am extremely aware of what was said, but again, you don't live here, you have no clue how rare it is too actually encounter one. One more time as well picture is copyrighted and rights reserved to teamrebelfishing.com, and would like it removed. You can leave the links up though, i'll take anybodys traffic

DaShark said...

I'm a fisherman, too.
And guess what - like any other fisherman including you, I know how to target certain species and avoid others!

So, please, spare me the BS - you attempted to catch another Sawfish and by doing so, you have likely acted illegally.

So, was this the same place as last year?

But that's not the gist of the post.
The gist is that you obviously don't give a shit and continue to target those endangered species - the Sawfish but also the Great Hammers that have been shown to be particularly susceptible to capture stress = are very likely to die.

And instead of minimizing your impact by releasing them immediately, you drag them onto the beach, pose for selfies and have the audacity to then go brag in the media.

Congratulations!

The picture.
When you wanted to show off, you've published it in the mass media - now it stays as evidence.