Thursday, May 06, 2010

So Far so Good!

Guys, this ain't a circle hook - well spotted by Lawrence!

Some you win, some you loose!

Case in point: this recent post.
It contains a very oblique reference to the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge - and now both sides are equally pissed off! The proponents believe that I'm criticizing it unfairly, the opponents criticize me for not having spoken out against it!
Guess it serves me right for not having been my usual abrasive self!

Thing is, I'm very much on the fence on this one.
In theory, I support it for being the better alternative to kill tournaments, at least in the short term; from the heart, I do not like it as I'm against trophy fishing for Sharks; and in this specific case, I still need to be convinced that this is genuine and not just some kind of business spin.
As always, time will tell!

But as the title implies, I'm rather impressed - so far!
You may first want to read the general outline here and then, the recap of the qualifying round here.

From what I can discern, this has been off to a great start!
This looks like a meticulously planned and flawlessly executed event and I must say: kudos to all those who came up with the initiative and invested what must have been a gargantuan amount of sweat equity into making this happen!
Technically speaking all I can say is job very well done!

And there's more good news.
Firstly, the apparent sidelining of real man Jack Donlon - and if so I say, good riddance!
Secondly, the re-appearance of Bucky Dennis among the catch-and-release anglers! If this indicates a genuine change of heart, it would be a truly spectacular confirmation of the effectiveness of the tournament's new format!

And ethically, as a conservationist?
Still not convinced!
This has now morphed into an event where fishermen catch and tag specimen for the research of Mote, something the Shark researchers do anyway.
That in itself is a good thing as it furthers our insights into the animals' life history and since the need to release them in good health has mandated the deployment of circle hooks and tail snares, along with very heavy tackle in order to get them to the boats in a minimum of time - not very game as in game fishing but probably the least invasive way to go.

Still, this is the principal mating and birthing season and this means that this is once again directly targeting pregnant females, some of which will certainly perish despite of all the precautions - especially some of the highly endangered Great Hammerheads who are particularly prone to dying of exhaustion as they are known to fight til the end.
Could next year's dates be moved to a less sensitive time frame?

Long story short - I'm still undecided but at the same time, looking forward to more news about the tournament proper!

The immediate question now being: who did I piss off this time!

PS: this is very cool - thanks Underwater Thrills for posting it!


2 comments:

Lawrence Groth said...

I wonder what really happened with the exit of Jack Donlon.
He has just announced that the Are You Man Enough Shark Challenge is back.
http://www.areyoumanenoughsharkchallenge.com/

Check out the rules page.. there are no rules!
WTF!

DaShark said...

I guess it's like with snakes!

They completely change their skin - and when they're finished, out comes a new snake, bigger & more venomous than before!