North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Killing sharks purely for their Jaws and Fins is pretty low. However, if a big shark comes up dead then by all means try and make the most of it, rather than wasting it at the bottom of the ocean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bc-Cv9C-E8

That's in nsw actually. Stockton beach.

Sharks well there's plenty of em but yeah only take the lil fella's. sub 60kg mako is a good chew.

Nice little Bronzey! YUM!

I had a 4m tiger take my jewie right at the boat down at pococks beach years ago. It was an awsome sight and what an experience to see such a large creature at work. Could never kill them just for a set of teeth.

It's funny you know, sharks are viewed in differing ways depending on where you are from. In my view a little Bronzie around the 1-2 metre mark gives you a serious run for your money on light tackle and is good on the chew IF it is looked after right. This means "Trunking". Head off, gills & guts out, tail off and straight into an ice slurry. Most people who have kept shark leave the gut in for to long after the shark has died and don't get the core temperature down quick enough resultiing in poor table fare. I grew up in Tasmania where a 6-8ft School Shark was considered a serious trophy fish and was treated as such. My family wasn't particularly well off and a good Schoolie, Bronzie or Gummie (My favourite) would feed us for a week. Getting sharked is a fact of life unfortunately. Sharks aren't stupid and they associate boats with an easy feed in some areas. Much the same as we try to fish productive areas so do Sharks!
Cheers,
John.

yeah leave em be...I spend as much time on the water as I can...no way I'd want to spin the big karma wheel with something that can bite my arse off

Pretty much the responce I was expecting.
Fishing attitudes have changed over the years.
In the past taking a fish like that was no probalem.
Muds comment IT IS WORSE THAN FINNING is a bit extreme tho,
One person, taking one, shark once in there life is hard to compare to an activity like that.
The number of sharks killed due to profesional by catch in the NT and shark nets in the eastern states are far worse.
I wont be actively chasing one but if the situation arises and it is a trophy fish 4 to 5m+ might give it a go.
But you still have to land an animal that size so the odds are in its favour.

No. I’m not a massive shark fan but killing one to pop on the wall seems a little senseless/unnecessary/environmentally damaging/bogan.

Some clown was shooting big sharks the other day out at sail city, the previos day we’d seen them busting up mack tuna, unbelievable sight huge pools of blood, sharks free jumping through the air. Then some dick shoots them up the next day because he wasn’t good enough to get his mackerel past them, top work. Not exactly doing the fishing community any favours…

NO.To those that keep the jaws good luck next time your out fishing and a shark cruizes by that is bigger than the boat, i reckon theres a fair chance you might get knocked out of the boat so the shark can take a souvenir. Carma can be a b#@ch sometimes.

Muds comment IT IS WORSE THAN FINNING is a bit extreme tho,

You're right John it is extreme...I let the emotions get the better of my grammar. Of course finning is a far more abhorent practice than killing a fish for a trophy.

What I meant to say was that at least taking the fins of the shark has some purpose in terms of providing an income for a family whereas taking the jaws does not. In both cases the rest of the shark is wasted.

In finning, however, the shark is left alive to suffer in agony on the bottom of the sea. This is practice is disgusting....next to bile-farming black bears it is one of the cruellest and most inhumane things humans can do to an animal. Killing the shark for a trophy is not the same thing even though I would not do it.

Cheers
M

sun bears mud, bile farm sun bears

*asiatic black bear, sun bear and brown bear are all farmed for bile

My younger brother used to fish nothing but sharks..mostly landbased..to give him his due, he would release most of them..the good chewin' smaller ones would go home in a slurry..never saw him take a set of " trophy " jaws. For him it was about the fight and the photo..When I bailed him on it, he reminded me that there are hell of a lot more blokes hooking big barra and letting them go. I fished with him a few times, and I have to admit that the epic battle put up by a good size shark is awesome..Taking on something that big and powerful is a test of one's stamina and endurance..probably not everyone's cup of tea, but that's the way it is with fishing..people specialise in different species. To kill anything purely for the sake of a "trophy" is quite rightly frowned upon by most. Just my two bobs worth on the subject.

I`m not real keen on sharks but i`d never catch one just for a trophy.

I am of the same opinion as Lats, no excuse whatsoever, cant eat, dont kill it.