Shark repellent

[abominableSnowman]

ive heard a battery in your poket will do that. cause they cant stand electrocurrent.

t/f?

 

[MCgunner]

Sharks have electro sense organs, can sense the neurons firing in a prey fish or seal or whatever. Known as the Ampullae of Lorenzini (google it), these organs are really well developed in a hammer head shark. In fact, the whole reason for the head shape of a hammer head is that these receptors are spread out giving them better depth perception on the electrical source they are tracking. A battery might mess up their reception, don't know. It also could attract shark packs. So, you go on out and test the hypothesis and let us know.

I've found that a .38 special is a pretty good shark tranquilizer. However, always shoot the shark before you boat it (that's the whole point anyway). Bilge pump might not keep up if you try that in the boat. I don't do much shark fishing anymore. Commercial fishing has caused limits to be dropped, ONE FISH now. Sharks are live bearers and natality rates are low. If I get a big one, that's okay, but in the bay, little 2 or 3 footers are more common. They sure are good on the grill, though.

 

[memphisjim]

wasp injection knife

 

[qajaq59]

If it was that easy every sailor would have a battery in his pocket!!!!

 

[tango2echo]

I'm going to chime in here. I have been SCUBA diving, freediving, and spearfishing for many years. I have daily encounters with sharks while doing this, and often many sharks at once. I have dove and spearfished with Bulls, Tigers, Blues, Grey Reefs, Sandbars, Sandtigers, Duskys, Spinners, Hammerheads, Dogfish, Oceantic Whitetips, Makos, Threshers, Blacktips, and White Tip Reef sharks. I have encountered as many sharks as I could count on a dive, and thensome. I have encountered big sharks (over 14ft), little sharks, and everything in between. I have over 3000 logged scuba dives, and countless unlogged freedives. I've shot big fish like Cobia, Amberjacks, and Tunas, and little fish like Sheepshead, Hogfish, and Groupers.

Having said all that, I have only had TWO of what I would call "Serious" encounters with sharks. In both cases, I was shooting big bloody fish in low visibility water. One was with a 10ft Bull shark, (a known maneater), and the other was with a 8ft Tiger shark, (also a known maneater). In both cases I gave up the fish and the shark lost all interest in me. The Bull was so close that I pushed him away with my right hand while sticking my thumb in its eye, as he swallowed a 40lb fish whole.

Sure, people are attacked by sharks every year. It's about 60 attacks per year in the USA IIRC. Take away the ones who were swimming at Dusk or Dawn and that number falls to about half that. Take away the ones who "admitted" to urinating in the water and that falls in half (sharks are attracted to urine). Then take away the number of ones who were wearing bright, flashy colors, like red, yellow, and orange, and you end up with something like 5 attacks per year in the USA.

Shark repellent is a joke. Don't swim in lo vis water, wear flashy colors, swim during feeding times, or deposit bodily fluids in the water and you'll be fine.

BTW Gunny, not ALL sharks are live bearers. Also, shooting sharks is illeagal in some areas now, but I ain't bringing no Mako in the boat that hasn't been lead posioned first!

If you guys dive and get down to the Carolinas, look me up. I'll show you some sharks!!! We can catch'em on Rod&Reel (400 yards off the beach in the late summer) or we can dive with them, up close and personal.

T2E

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

and little fish like Sheepshead, Hogfish, and Groupers.

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=large+grouper&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g7



Very cool, though, tango.

 

[Cosmoline]

deposit bodily fluids in the water

If there's a ten foot bull shark within arm's reach, I'm depositing bodily fluids and that's just the way it's going to be. I'm also going to be screaming and flailing around.

 

[tango2echo]

In my area sheepshead run less than 15lbs and usually around 6lbs. HogSnapper can be up to 30lbs, but around 10lbs is more normal. Groupers rarely get bigger than 20lbs, but I've shot them as big as 51lbs.

Most of the pics in your link are of Goliath Groupers and Potato Cods. They can reach a half-ton or larger. Those are more common to Florida and the Carribbean, but are found in warmer waters worldwide.

We have ALOT of these. They're pretty tame.
https://yhsbiology.wikispaces.com/file/view/sand-tiger-shark.jpg/61452418/sand-tiger-shark.jpg

And these, which do not get as large, but are alot less tame.
http://www.labnews.co.uk/cms_images/Image/MAY08/sandbar_shark.jpg

And the one's you need to REALLY watch for.
http://www.thomaspeschak.com/storage/TPeschak.GeraldDurrel.Tiger-Shark.jpg
http://animals.nationalgeographic.c...aticFiles/animals/images/800/bullshark-sw.jpg

 

[bad_aim_billy]

I would recommend nothing less than a .500, with hot ammo. You won't feel the recoil in a dangerous situation, although hitting anything will probably be out of the question. At least it will make you feel powerful, right? That's really all that matters.

Oh whoops, this isn't a bear thread. My bad.

 

[MCgunner]

BTW Gunny, not ALL sharks are live bearers. Also, shooting sharks is illeagal in some areas now,

True, off the top of my head, whale sharks and there are some pacific coast species that lay egg sacks in kelp as I recall. But, we catch mostly black tips, sand sharks, and hammer and bonnet heads here in the bay. They are live bearers and have quite the low natality rate. That's why their numbers have dwindled under commercial pressure. They need to STOP commercial fishing of all species of shark IMHO, for that reason. Hard to do, though, as they long line 'em in international waters and there's a lucrative market for shark fins in the far east.

If shooting shark is illegal around here, I don't know it. I haven't actively gone after sharks since the limits shrank, though, about 10 years ago. I don't go off shore, just bay fish 'em. But, if I can't get a hand around him behind his mouth, he gets shot before he comes in the boat. The little ones aren't a big problem, but when a black tip approaches 4 feet, he is a might much to handle. Don't EVEN try to grab 'em by the tail, LOL. I know guys that shoot 'em and I know guys that use a ball bat on 'em. Shootin' takes less effort and is more fun.

 

[308win]

Does shrieking like a five year old on the Til-Ta-Whirl repel sharks? If not then I am toast because I will stain the water.

 

[MCgunner]

BTW, an occasional wade fisherman gets bit around here. I don't recall any fatalities. It's normally because they have a stringer of fish near a leg and don't know the shark is after 'em. The shark misses a bit and gets a chunk of leg. It's a lot less hazard than the possibility of stepping on a sting ray, though. Wade fishermen learn to shuffle, not step. The fatal shark attacks are usually on the gulf beach, surfers and wind surfers and such, but there are fishermen that get attacked. A boy in Freeport some time back was bit wade fishing the surf and they did a whole piece on him on a Discovery Channel show. It was an unusual year, that year for shark attacks up and down the coasts. There were several attacks down the coast on Padre, too, as I recall.

 

[wankerjake]

If there's a ten foot bull shark within arm's reach, I'm depositing bodily fluids and that's just the way it's going to be. I'm also going to be screaming and flailing around

Totally. Probably solids too...

 

[shockwave]

ive heard a battery in your poket will do that. cause they cant stand electrocurrent.

A battery does not generate current until both poles come into contact via some connecting mechanism. Ergo, if a shark is after you, your best bet is to throw the battery at it and back off.

The serious answer is: Speaking as a Scuba diver, if a shark decides to take a piece out of you, ain't no battery gonna stop it. Worse - most sharks use their electro-sense to find prey. See where I'm going with this? The battery, if generating current, would be broadcasting to all sharks in the area, "Free snack over here - come and get it!"

And, per some of the remarks, above, guys, please don't kill sharks if you can avoid it. They are threatened, endangered, and going extinct all over the globe. These apex predators weed sick life from the sea and keep the ocean healthy. They deserve our respect, they are awesome to swim with, and they aren't very good eating.

 

[MCgunner]

Black tips and sand sharks are not threatened or endangered. There is a limit of one per day here, they are legal, and they are tasty. I obey all laws and eat my kill. They are extremely good eating, actually. You never had grilled shark steak? If they close the limits, I won't keep any, but until then, if I snag a good size black tip, that booger's goin' on the grill 'cause frankly, I'M the apex predator.

 

[shockwave]

Black tips and sand sharks are not threatened or endangered.

Oh there are places where some species are hanging in, and you're on the Gulf, where they can get large schools of them. But other places are getting seriously fished out. As a diver, I know - lots of reports from places where you could dive with them but now they're gone due to shark-finning operations. Every continent has seen declines. Yes - I've had shark but it's an acquired taste, wouldn't you say? Like skate.

 

[smogmage]

Back on the topic of Shark repellent, scientists have been working on such a thing for quite some time now and seem to have something that's very effective. Its made from dead shark flesh; once the sharks pick up the scent of other dead sharks they run for their lives. Apparently this stuff is so potent that when a great white was killed by an killer whale off California, the entire population of great whites fled south. Very interesting seeing as how it was the height of feeding season on the seals.

 

[Cosmoline]

Well there's no shortage of salmon sharks around here. If you want a fishing experience that really amounts to big game hunting, you can engage in salmon shark fishing from a kayak:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKjS5irBAG0

I went out on a sea kayak once up here, and seeing silvers darting around next to me was unnerving enough! These little sharks are like mini great whites (they're actually a cousin) and have razor-sharp salmon shredding teeth that could easily take a foot off. Which is why you'd never see me dangling them in the water like they do!

 

[MCgunner]

Sorta like salt water Piranhas, eh, Cos?

Yes - I've had shark but it's an acquired taste, wouldn't you say?

If it is, I acquired the taste on the first bite.

I don't consider sport fishing the problem. Not that many fish for shark in the first place and now that the limit is down to one, I don't, either. If I happen to snag a nice sized black tip, I'll keep it, but I don't go out just for shark like I used to do.

What needs to STOP is the commercial fishing/finning of the sharks. That is what's detrimental to the populations. It's kinda like trying to stop rhino horn export to China, though (where the fins are desired), the Chinese don't give a flip, they just want the fins. It's all about the money. I don't even pretend to know how to stop it, but if it's still legal anywhere in THIS country, it needs to end. It's not legal here, but heck, I'm sure there's plenty of export to China out of Mexico or some central American country. Money talks, BS walks.

I read something somewhere about that new shark repellent. That's pretty interesting. They coulda used that stuff on the USS Indianapolis. Pelagic blue sharks seemed to have acquired a taste for human flesh during WW2. I have read that they seem to have learned to congregate around sinking ships and major sea battles for the inevitable free meal.

 

[shockwave]

What needs to STOP is the commercial fishing/finning of the sharks.

Thank you. We're on the same page. If they're plentiful in your area and you're gonna eat it, no foul. It's the wastage that's so distressing from the commercial operations. But if you know your sharks, you'll know why I'm laughing at the OP. A battery in your pocket isn't going to dissuade one of those brutes. A great dive I had was off the coast of Bali off Indonesia. And while we were on a wreck, this Bull shark started buzzing us, and then he started bumping into us, that skin like sandpaper very scratchy, and that's when you realize that suddenly, in this environment, you aren't the apex predator. Gulp!

 

[MCgunner]

Yeah, the skin is raspy because it's full of little teeth, enamel structures akin to dentition. The danged things are FULL of teeth. LOL The skin makes for some pretty western boots, though. I doubt you can get sharkskin anymore, though, for the reasons we've been talking about. I had a pair 35 years ago, though. They were expensive, even then.

 

[~z]

Batteries as a repellant...uh, no. We used to use 9V batteries with a small capacitor wired to them in conjunction with slabs of jack crevalle for bait when surf fishing just south of MCgunner’s place of residence. Catch rates were higher by almost 50% than without the batteries. Don’t worry; we were not harvesting fins, just keeping some mid sized black fin or bull sharks for dinner. Most, probably 90% were tagged and released or just released as we didn’t tag anything under 5ft. As for the acquired taste…ever had sword fish prepared to its utmost perfection? That is what a 5-6ft bull or black tip tastes like.

They are plentiful along the TX coast but I strongly agree that the commercial harvest should be curtailed.

~z

 

[MCgunner]

We used to use 9V batteries with a small capacitor wired to them in conjunction with slabs of jack crevalle for bait when surf fishing just south of MCgunner’s place of residence.

Big Shell, maybe?

 

[The Bushmaster]

Stay out of the water........Problem solved.

 

[LAR V]

Hey tango2echo,

Just saw your post about NC. I’ve been wreck diving, freediving and spearfishing the North Atlantic for 35 years. Mostly NY, NJ, DE and NC. Next time I get to my vacation home in Frisco I’ll get in touch and maybe we can find some blue water.

Lar5