Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
In order to stop paying for the “privilege” of steaming into our home so much of the hogwash that shows up on television these days, last year we finally “cut the cable,” put an antenna in the attic and couldn’t be happier not to see a bill from a certain cable company each month. The only down side is that I can’t watch the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week when it comes around each summer which, when I think about it, is probably just as well because when it comes to hogwash some of the programming they run that week can put a shine on a pig like you wouldn’t believe!
Sharks myths always have, and probably always will, go hand in hand and the lies aren’t reserved to just what comes out of a co-ax cable. I’ve got stacks of old shark books from the JAWS area of 70’s and 80’s that will make you think twice about getting bathtub let alone taking a dip in the ocean. You would think that fishing publications would little more accurate on the Pinocchio scale , but while I was flipping through a West-Coast fishing magazine an article caught my eye about fly fishing for makos that blew that theory.
I was hoping to learn something (anything) useful from the article but only got about half-way through it before I was ready to toss the entire magazine in the trash! Describing the fight after he hooked a mako, the writer said “it literally jumped three times over my head.” Then the guy went on to say that makos are the only sharks listed by the IGFA as “game fish.” “HOGWASH!” I shouted as I made a perfect two-pointer into the can across the room.
OK, I’ll admit that after decades of writing and lecturing about sharks, whenever I read something someone else writes about them I tend to be a bit critical, but come-on, between the Hollywood hype and ding-bat writers like this guy who don’t know what they’re talking about it’s no wonder the public has so many misconceptions about sharks! Which then lead me to the idea of doing a little “myth-busting” in this week’s column.
First off, I’ll give the guy the benefit of the doubt that what he meant was that the mako jumped “higher” than his head, but in print it said “over” which to me, and I assume a lot of other readers, it sure seemed like he was directly under the shark as it sailed through the air. WOW – three times, what an experience! Maybe I’m just a sissy, but I think that probably after the first and certainly after a second near mid-air “scalping” I’d be crawling up under the boat’s console, into a fish box or somewhere safer than on deck! While makos certainly have the ability to jump high enough to clear the head of someone in a small boat, they typically jump straight up and fall straight down, jumping at a trajectory that would take them over a boat isn’t going to happen and certainly not three times in a row!
“Makos are the only sharks recognized by the IGFA as game fish.” WRONG! I don’t know who started that myth but I can remember hearing it repeated even back when I was a kid. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that, back before many people started intentionally fishing for sharks they would occasionally hook makos accidentally while trolling for other fish, and maybe they figured that if they would hit a trolled bait they must be have something special that the rest of the sharks don’t.
Anyway, after seeing the myth repeated not only in the previously mentioned magazine but also AGAIN in a local tournament publication, I called IGFA just for clarification. I wanted to make sure they didn’t have some separate “game fish” list that I was unaware of. The fellow from IGFA confirmed that the organization does NOT have such a list and went on to state that IGFA keeps world records for many species of sharks commonly taken by recreational anglers and that the organization does not get involved with labeling some as game fish and others not. Let’s all PLEASE put that myth to rest once and for all!
“Sharks can smell blood from miles away.” Well of course they can, just like those of us in Ocean City were once able to smell the brush fires down in North Carolina a few years ago. Put enough scent in the water (or the air) and get down current (or down wind) of it and “something” is going to smell it.
But “they” say that sharks can smell one part blood in a million parts of water.” That may be true, but if you take a look at the ocean you might notice that there’s a lot of “million parts” of water out there to dilute scent down to where it’s undetectable to even the keen olfactory system of a shark. The next thing to consider is that scent is carried by the current in the same way that scent in the air is carried by the breeze. A shark can be up current of a potential meal and not be able to smell it in much the same way that someone can be upwind and close to a skunk and still not know it’s there. Which should pretty much blow the notion that a little scent (blood or whatever) in the water is going to have sharks zooming in from all directions.
“Sharks and dolphins are mortal enemies and dolphins will kill or scare sharks away whenever they’re close-by.” Sharks and dolphins are both top predators in their environment and often compete side-by-side for the same prey. But just as a group of dolphins might occasionally work together to harass a shark (or sharks) out of their “turf,” many also fall prey to sharks that find opportunities to nab an unsuspecting or injured dolphin. However, anyone who has had an opportunity to do some late summer shark fishing in the area from 1-5 mile offshore knows that being surrounded by dolphins throughout the day has no ill effect on the shark action. Apparently, the sharks are so unconcerned by the dolphin’s presence that they go right on feeding despite the presence of their so-called “mortal enemies.”
Sharks are “eating machines.” Don’t I wish it were true because it would certainly make my job of catching them a whole lot easier. Actually, unlike a lot of other fish, sharks usually tend to be very cautious feeders and often spend a lot of time investigating baits before they commit to eating them. It’s not uncommon to see a shark approach even a very fresh or live bait, then leave it, return, circle, leave it again, return, and so forth for quite a while before it either builds up the courage to take a bite, or just leave it altogether. Eating machines? Maybe for some fish but not sharks.
Even without all the Hollywood-hype sharks are still some of the most fascinating creatures in the ocean, unfortunately too many folks know nothing about these top predators except the sensationalized resumes they get from the media.
