Your Thoughts: Were The Destin Fishermen Right To Kill Mako Shark?

I think the fishermen should have just taken a picture of the shark and released it back into the ocean. There was no reason to kill this shark. It wasn’t attacking someone so why did they kill it? The shark has been caught, dragged around and eventually hooked up for all to gawp at – how is that fair?

I personally think it’s wrong that people glorify brutal killings like this one.

I am so dead against it really, i have always been a fisherman and have always believed in CATCH & RELEASE. Sharks are not as dangerous as people make them out to be and yes it is true now and then sharks do kill people but it is very rare.

The worst killers in the world are us yes us humans but do we get caught on a hook, then sliced and dice (hell friggin no we do not).

There was no need to kill this shark, at the end of the day it was just something to give the fisherman something to boast about. Well i hope they and all the people there that day have a big smile on their faces because one thing is for sure “The shark has not”.

The fishermen should have taken pictures & let the shark go. The mako shark plays a vital role along with other shark species in the food chain. To kill for just sport or like the Japanese for just the fins is just plain wrong.

Please give me a break, brutal killing of a shark??? Poor, poor shark… really now. It would have been ok to keep a smaller fish but not a giant shark? Its perfectly legal, and its a predator that isn’t on the endangered species list. Good hunting as far as I’m concerned.

The fisherman were well out into the Gulf fishing for grouper when they came upon this shark — doing what it has been doing for the past upteenth hundred years — eating his lunch. The fisherman said, “we’ve never seen one this big” — uh, maybe that’s because he’s never been caught by callous, glory seeking fisherman! Was he killed for food – to save a family from starving? No! Was he killed because he was a threat to area beaches? No! He was killed to break a friggin’ RECORD giving glory to these bunch of yahoos!

Doesn’t Florida have CATCH AND RELEASE laws for ‘recreational’ catches?

First of all, do we know if there’e a prize associated??? Because I do know there’s a lot of Money for the biggest Grouper, Amberjack, Yellowfin and so on in this tournament. Having said that, if there is a $25,000 prize associated for a catch which was legal; in addition, to a tournament which one paid good $$$$ to enter, why not bring it in and collect? Who said that Mako’s aren’t edible as they are on plenty of menu’s in FL. Secondly, this shouldn’t even be in the same sentence as Japanease fin fishing. It’s not even a shark tournament…..they were fishing for grouper and happen to come across a record shark most likely worth some $$$ which is why they entered the tournament to begin with.

Thats a lot of BBQ hanging there, pass the pepper

It was wrong! Sport fishing isn’t about killing. Such jerks!

Why don’t you worry more about famine and disease around the world. Better yet, if you’re that concerned about this particular animal then call your congressman or quit yer cryin.

KILL KILL KILL ALL SHARKS!!!!!!

Of course it was ok they were fishing for Grouper & it kept eating their fish so why not it’s a Rodeo Record & it’s no different then hunting a deer or anything & if you have read any articles the captain & crew all said they usually just let them go but this was big enough for a Fishing Rodeo Record that has been around for 59 years… It’s a great thing congratulations

Question: Why kill something you don’t have to?

It always baffles me how some seem to worry about a fish more than the loss of their own freedom ,
they would rather make an issue out of this insignificant fish, they dont seem to have no other concerns oh the outrage one less shark in athe Gulf of Mexico geeze……..
I wonder how long will it take for people to scream about all the inocent cockroaches being murdered

I was at the rodeo last week. Would have loved to see that catch. GOOD FISHING. Remember YOU PEOPLE THAT DONT LIKE DONT EAT CRABLEGS OR WATCH DEADLEST CATCH

i can not for a second condone what the fishermen did. the shark didn’t do anything not to mention killing served on purpose other than to go down in the memories of the men involved…
hey read this article about it. the guy writing its has no clue as to the fragile ocean ecosystem that would be disrupted by the death of those sharks

http://newstrain.com/2007/10/17/whos-scared-of-the-big-ole-maco-shark/

Actually, mako sharks are in a lot of trouble. The Shark Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), an international scientific organization, recently raised the level of concern for mako sharks to “vulnerable,” which is defined as “threatened with global extinction.” The status of sharks is hardly an “insignificant” matter, as some have claimed above, as recent research has shown that they play an important role in the marine ecosystem. When large amounts of sharks are hunted, their prey increases, resulting in the decline of shellfish populations.

These fishermen should have just taken a picture and let the shark go. The ocean needs sharks more than fishermen do.

As an avid fisherman, I have mixed feelings. Everyone wants to show off the big catch. Then again, the wanton destruction of fish is just wrong. And the thing is, we can get angry at these sports fisherman, but meanwhile there are fleets of boats with longlines catching sharks and cutting off their fins just to make soup for the Japanese. I would prefer that this fish had been released, but it’s the commercial fisherman that are destroying the fisheries.