1056lb shark capture raises concerns over rules

By Sea Angler

General News

30 June 2009 17:18

Anglers are calling for changes to the way sea fishing records are claimed following last week’s capture of a 1,056lb six gill shark the biggest fish ever caught on rod and line in the British Isles.

Experts and Angling Times readers have voiced their concerns as to why the huge creature had to be killed in order for Swiss fisherman Joe Waldis to verify the catch, given the poor state of global shark stocks.

Now a raft of anglers and conservationists want changes introduced which would see fish being weighed on boats, or weights ascertained by accepted measurement systems - a practice increasingly used by conservation-minded big-game anglers.

Richard Peirce, a keen sea fisherman and chairman of The Shark Trust,
believes that adopting a catch-and-release culture is the only way to secure the future of the sport.

“We do not want to get shark fishing banned, but changes need to be made because species such as porbeagles are already regarded as threatened. Sharks are very late in maturing ¬ most species have very few pups and they do not take angling pressure lightly. Perhaps the only solution for records is to adopt the ‘length and girth’ formula used by several charter skippers,” said Richard.

Ex-England sea international Alan Yates is also in favour of changes being implemented, provided the process is carefully monitored.

He said: “You’d need to insist on two independent witnesses for records to be considered, but I’m all for it. But I think it’s far better to photograph fish at sea than take them back to port. I once returned a potential Irish record skate that we estimated to be 230lb. I’m not criticising the angler in this instance ¬ it’s down to the authorities to change the way records are claimed.

However, famous big-game angler Zyg Gregorek thinks it’s important for angling history to take fish back to port for official weighing, but only if it is an obvious record.

“Records are sacred benchmarks, there to be broken. How else would you know what sizes such fish grow to? Gaining an accurate weight on a boat is nigh on impossible and, as anglers, I think we are sometimes guilty of over-reacting.

“After all, using a rod and line is the most sustainable method of fishing.
The biggest problem is long lining and the demand from the oriental market, where they cut the fins off a shark and throw the rest back,” said Zyg.