The national media is taking notice of the “Next Generation” shark fishing tournament! The Washington Post ran a feature article on the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge on May 21st, just as the Grand Championship Finale was getting underway, and Kerry Sanders of NBC and Susan Cocking of the Miami Herald are also on location to file reports. 

The first day of fishing was a success – two hammerheads were caught, tagged with SPOT satellite tags and safely released. More details to come, so stay tuned.

Cheers!

One of the tiger sharks that was tagged by scientists in a Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Scientific Expedition in Bermuda last August is still “phoning” in via satellite – almost 9 months after being tagged!

Correia, a male tiger shark first tagged in the vicinity of Challenger Bank, a reef system about 12 miles off the coast of Bermuda, has shown a very clear migration pattern – moving south to the Caribbean in the fall, staying in the warm Caribbean waters during the winter, and then moving north again into the Atlantic as the summer months approach.

The tracking map below details Correia’s movements since being tagged last August -

To see photos of the tigers being caught, tagged and released during the original expediton last August, visit the expedition’s photo album on Facebook.

Cheers!

The Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Grand Championship Finale begins tomorrow in Sarasota, FL. I will be on-site Friday and Saturday at the HQ of the Finale – the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. I hope all of you anglers and shark enthusiasts will make plans to attend.

I really love the format of this event. It’s a ”no kill” tournament that goes one-step further by incorporating science and conservation into the mix. For example, when anglers catch certain shark species, a research team will use a high-speed boat to intercept the anglers as they are bringing in the shark. Once the competing anglers have been able to measure and score the shark, the researchers will attach a satellite tag and then release the shark.

ABOVE PHOTO: Mote Marine Laboratory scientists Bob Hueter (near) and Jack Morris (far) quickly work to finalize the tag’s attachment. Photo by John Tyminski – Mote Marine Laboratory.

During the qualifying round of the GHUSC, a team of researchers from the MML safely tagged and released an 8′ 2″, 400lb. female bull shark that was caught by Capts. Bucky Dennis and Jimmy Willis of Team Peter’s Restaurant. Tournament organizers Sean and Brooks Paxton (AKA “The Shark Brothers”) and Capt. Robert Moore captured some sensational video and still images of Bucky and Jimmy landing the shark and the MML researchers outfitting her with a satellite tag on her dorsal fin (expertly placed by Dr Bob. Hueter, Director of MML’s Center for Shark Research, and Dr. Jack Morris, MML Senior Biologist). Excellent work, gentlemen!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWkbcKBEkK4]

The migration patterns of the tagged bull shark, dubbed “Bucky’s Baby”, can be tracked online – just click here. The site also includes:

• an option to subscribe to a daily update by email to track the shark’s movements
• specific information on “Bucky’s Baby” as well as bull sharks in general
• an option to adopt “Bucky’s Baby” to help fund the research
• great information on the GHUSC, with lots of links 

Great job, everyone – I look forward to a very successful and productive Grand Championship Finale!

Cheers!

Dr. Samuel “Doc” Gruber, shark researcher extraordinaire who is funded in part by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, recently spent part of his day in the water with a 12 ft. female tiger shark. While many people might think he’s crazy, it was actually just another day at the office for Doc, who has been studying sharks for more than 30 years. After his encounter with the tiger shark, Doc sat down at his computer and filed the following field report, which includes some pretty amazing photos of Doc and his new friend:

“We were teaching a university shark biology course at the Bimini Biological Field Station. We set our line at 09:00 and hauled back at 15:30. The line was set in ~700′ – well into the Gulf Stream and with a strong 2 kt current. The weather was especially fine. The line itself is about 1,500 feet long but we only set the seven hooks on last 350′, which is weighed down with a 15 lb lead weight so the hooks stay on the bottom. The entire line was anchored by a concrete block, chain and anchor, which was zip-tied to the chain.

As we hauled the line back in, we found the second gangion/hook broken and gone and no bait on any of the other hooks. The tiger shark actually took the very first gangion, broke it and came back for a second before getting wrapped up in the main line. With the class looking on we hauled up the 1,500 feet of line and gear and discovered the big tiger tangled in the end of the line. We carefully untangled her and trussed her to the side of the boat.

Once the tiger was secure, we measured her, fitted her with a tracking tag and took a genetic sample. Then, we released her safe and sound back to the deep – but not before I got into the water with her for a few parting shots.

Being up close and personal with a behemoth like this female tiger is an incredible experience. The pure power and density of the shark is just amazing – feels like a giant oak!!

Many thanks to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation for supporting the shark research at the Bimini Biological Field Station – we couldn’t do this important work without your generosity!

Thanks…Doc Gruber”

Check out the video below of Doc and his team releasing another 12 ft. tiger shark off Bimini:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNmG8X5h4oY]

Great job, Doc…and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation hat looks great on you!

Cheers!

The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation recently provided the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University with a $150,000 grant to help fund the GHRI’s scientific research projects. This is the largest donation in the two year history of the GHOF, whose mission is to support scientific research and educational programs that encourage conservation and best management practices for sustainable marine environments.

From left to right: John Santulli, VP Facilities Management, NSU; Dr. Richard Dodge, Dean of NSU’s Oceanographic Center; Dr. Mahmood Shivji, Director of the GHRI; Guy Harvey; Dr. George Hanbury II, President and COO of NSU; Steve Stock, President of Guy Harvey Inc. and the GHOF

Congratulations to Dr. Mahmood Shivji and the very talented and dedicated staff and students of the GHRI.

Cheers!

The qualifying round of the inaugural edition of the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge is in the books! Thanks to all the anglers, sponsors and event organizers for making the first stage of this event a huge success.

The GHUSC is leading the way in pioneering a new kind of shark tournament and we are excited about the positive influence this catch-tag-release format will have on other shark tournaments that still follow the kill format.

For information about the GHUSC, including a complete wrap-up of the Qualifying Round (with some great images), visit the GHUSC web site – and stay tuned for updates from the Grand Championship, which will be held May 21-23 at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, FL.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIW2ZwUKwiA]

Cheers!