A Sharks Tale... Part One

                                                   Me and my baby shortfin mako shark :)

Part one

It was in the company car on the way to Richards Bay that it hit me, “I was going out to sea with a bunch of men for an extended period of time, none of whom I knew”. The anxiety was bubbling below the surface as we left for sea on my first trip on board a commercial tuna longline fishing vessel. The days that followed saw me experience wild seas, big fish, and heart burn.

Including that trip, I have been on three fishing expeditions since. Two were on board tuna boats and more recently I went out with a shark longliner, the latter being a lot more challenging both physically and emotionally. But before I delve into my experiences on board and the resulting conclusions about the status of shark populations off southern Africa, let me explain what it is I am doing and where.

                                                  This fish is called a Moonfish or Opah :) 

I am currently based in Durban where I am doing my Master of Science degree in marine biology. My project looks at two things: firstly, what sharks are being caught “by accident” (I will explain the inverted commas later) in the tuna and swordfish longline fishery in South Africa, and secondly a full biological on the shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) which will include how long they live, how fast they grow and when they mature sexually, to name a few. It is my hope that once I have completed my project we will have a much greater understanding of what is happening out on the deep blue and allow us to manage our sharks more effectively so that they do not disappear for good.

So, with the above in mind, I set off on my three trips to find out things like; what types of sharks are being caught, how many, where, when, and what do the fishermen do with them. Now, the reason I put “by accident” in inverted commas earlier is because very often they are not and instead there fins are removed to be sold as an ingredient for shark fin soup. This dish is considered a delicacy in Asia and when ordered it shows that you are successful and wealthy. As a result of the economic resurgence in Asia during the 1990’s there was in increase in wealthy people and therefore an increase in the amount of shark fin soup being ordered which in turn resulted in the decimation of shark populations worldwide.

But the question is, how are our sharks handling it?