Two different deaths in the ocean
October 6th, 2009 by admin
Whales and sharks are the ocean’s largest inhabitants. Understandably, they have long been subjects of fascination. But that does not mean the two animals are treated the same in Florida, as we learned again this week.
On Sunday, a dead 41-foot-long female Bryde’s whale was spotted in Tampa Bay and towed to shore. It is rare to see such a large whale along Florida’s coastline. A crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the whale being pulled out of the water so that scientists could determine how she died. One of the spectators explained to the St. Peterburg Times why she brought a video camera to capture the scene, “I have a reverence for the marine animals.”
Unfortunately, reverence was one feeling that was missing among a group of men fishing off the coast of Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. The four friends were about 18 miles out when they spotted a large mako shark eating a swordfish. In an interview with WPLG Ch. 10 news, Jamie Bunn, one of the men on the boat, described the decision to kill the shark, “We might as well get this thing. Someone’s dying today.” The shark was hooked and then pierced with a gaff before dying. The shark was brought to the docks at Lighthouse Point Marina and weighed in at 748 pounds. The dead shark was probably one of the healthiest, strongest and oldest mako sharks in the waters off Florida. In his story about the killing of the shark, WPLG reporter Rob Schmitt described the shark simply as “a terror.”
You Can Help
Please contact WPLG Ch. 10 news and urge the station to stop glorifying cruel and wasteful killings of sharks. Explain that sharks are magnificent creatures who are essential to the ocean ecosystem.E-mail reporter Rob Schmitt: rschmitt@JustNews.com, or submit comments using the paper’s online comment form.