Any Thoughts On This?

[george]

This picture was posted to our FB account with the caption:

"This mako was hanging dead on commercial long line gear.look at the line that's 1000# mono leader, see it all the time."

I get that whatever ate it was huge, but I think more must be done to clean up the long line fishery. How many of these majestic beasts are being killed by long lines as bycatch?

In 2018 there were emergency measures put on makos due to overfishing. Here's there rule for long lines:

Commercial Measures
Live release of shortfin mako sharks in the commercial pelagic longline fishery, no landings of shortfin mako sharks by fishermen using other commercial gear types.

The recommendation requires the release of all shortfin mako sharks in a manner that causes the least harm, while giving due consideration to the safety of crew members. Therefore, this emergency rule implements the following measures:

1. Fishermen using pelagic longline gear (who are already required to have a functional electronic monitoring system)
   1. Release all live shortfin mako sharks with a minimum of harm, while giving due consideration to the safety of crew members.
   2. Retain a shortfin mako shark only if it is dead at haulback.

Fishermen using non-pelagic longline commercial gear (e.g., bottom longline, gillnet, handgear, etc) must release all shortfin sharks, alive or dead, with a minimum of harm, while giving due consideration to the safety of crew members.

I guess that didn't work out well for this beast.

 

[jpd]

 

[Roccus7]

Wish the picture showed more of the mouth. There's an inkling in my mind that it's what's known around here as a "Boothbay Hahbah Mako" which is a porbeagle.

You'd be surprised how many "pros" can't tell a mako from a porbeagle, and the missing dorsal fin hurts IDing, since its usually the best way to differentiate the two. It helps if you say, "Open wide and say 'AHHHHH'" and look at the teeth to get a positive ID, although you'd often say "Mako" unless you look closely for those tiny extra cuspids.

Where was it caught?

Whatever dined on it, it was MASSIVE!! Surprised it didn't break the leader.

 

[Roccus7]

OK, a little research later and I was wrong...

1. Picture was taken "Down Under" in March, 2019 and published in Giant shark head sparks concern about much larger predator. Enough experts have seen it and it's a mako, estimated at 600 -800 lbs so it would be a keepah, male or female.

2. Not a single big bite on the shark, multiple smaller sharks dining on the mako, so those that want to believe that Megaldon exists can still look for other "photos".

 

[CELLFISH]

Wish the picture showed more of the mouth. There's an inkling in my mind that it's what's known around here as a "Boothbay Hahbah Mako" which is a porbeagle.

You'd be surprised how many "pros" can't tell a mako from a porbeagle, and the missing dorsal fin hurts IDing, since its usually the best way to differentiate the two. It helps if you say, "Open wide and say 'AHHHHH'" and look at the teeth to get a positive ID, although you'd often say "Mako" unless you look closely for those tiny extra cuspids.

Where was it caught?

Whatever dined on it, it was MASSIVE!! Surprised it didn't break the leader.

Whatever dined on it, it was MASSIVE!! Surprised it didn't break the leader.

Killer Whales, aka... OPRAH...

.

 

[cany]

Thats a big head

 

[Old Mud]

Wish the picture showed more of the mouth. There's an inkling in my mind that it's what's known around here as a "Boothbay Hahbah Mako" which is a porbeagle.

You'd be surprised how many "pros" can't tell a mako from a porbeagle, and the missing dorsal fin hurts IDing, since its usually the best way to differentiate the two. It helps if you say, "Open wide and say 'AHHHHH'" and look at the teeth to get a positive ID, although you'd often say "Mako" unless you look closely for those tiny extra cuspids.

Where was it caught?

Whatever dined on it, it was MASSIVE!! Surprised it didn't break the leader.

Mr Roccus, the leader on a long line seldom parts because anything big just drags the mainline with it.

 

[Old Mud]

Oh yeah, my thoughts on this are as long as you have long line gear in the water you will have bycatch. There are many rules and recommendations and they can sit around forever brainstorming but the truth is they will have No control on bycatch. JMHO

 

[wader]

that kid must have been hungry..............