Saving Seafood

A hammerhead shark death could spark change

April 16, 2018 — Of the instantly recognizable organisms in the animal kingdom, the hammerhead shark is probably among the top three.

That distinctive skull design, molded by 400 million years of evolution, gives the large coastal shark its perfectly suited name. But many a tarpon fishing guide in Florida can also instantly identify a hammerhead shark by its tall sickle-shaped dorsal fin, and the feeling of dread that follows knowing another angler’s trophy catch may fall prey to it.

A large hammerhead appears menacing. It seems intent on causing harm. Those soul-piercing eyes on either end of its skull, connected to a specialized nervous system which allows it to see and hunt successfully, give it a face only a hammerhead mother could love. Its very sight strikes fear into the hearts of many whether they are beachgoers or boaters.

But the hammerhead’s looks could not be more deceiving. It is one of the most gentle, docile and mislabeled animals on this planet. In fact, of all the human shark bites recorded in history, according to the International Shark Attack File, only 17 unprovoked bites have been attributed to the hammerhead, and none were fatal. Truth be told, what should fear a large hammerhead shark most are stingrays, blacktip sharks and tarpon (especially the ones swimming near Boca Grande Pass).

Read the full story at the TC Palm

 

Iconic fish species move north as ocean warms

September 6, 2015 — Warming ocean temperatures off the North Atlantic are causing fish to move up the coast to cooler waters — raising concerns among scientists and regulators about the ocean’s ecosystem, and potentially changing the experience Delaware anglers have enjoyed for generations.

In 2013, a Virginia Beach striped bass tournament drew hundreds of boats, but only one striper was caught.

Wachapreague, Virginia, a tiny town south of Chincoteague that called itself the “flounder capital of the world,” lost its identity and economic engine when summer flounder relocated to waters off the coasts of New Jersey and New York.

And the iconic blue crab, a staple of restaurants and dinner tables throughout the Delmarva Peninsula, are expanding their range, scuttling up the coast to Maine.

Striped bass, which gave birth to a charter fishing industry in Delaware, are swimming into deeper water during their fall migration through the mid-Atlantic — well beyond the 3-mile limit off the coast where it is legal to catch and keep them.

Black sea bass — once so common in area waters, they were the go-to-fish when other species weren’t biting — have moved north to New England.

Read the full story at Delaware Online