What Is It About Sharks?
By CAPT. MEL BERMAN, Florida Fishing Weekly

I first met Dr. Bob Hueter almost 20 years ago, just after he arrived at Mote Marine Labs in Sarasota. He was a very bright, engaging individual whose passion then, as it is today, was the study of sharks. As a young scientist with a PHD in zoology from the University of Florida, and an undergraduate degree and masters in marine biology for Miami University, Hueter became part of Mote’s important Shark Biology Program in 1988. Later, he was appointed senior scientist and Director of Mote's Center for Shark Research. Today, Dr. Hueter s recognized as one of the worlds most highly regarded shark scientists and foremost authorities on these great creatures.

Sharks sit atop the apex of the ocean’s food pyramid. There are more than 400 species, most with known enemies – with the possible exception of humans. “When they’re small they will actually be forage for other sharks. But once sharks get to a certain size, they really don’t have to worry about being eaten,” said Dr. Hueter.  “Their only concern is finding food. In some cases, when their food is depleted, their numbers will diminish.” 

Unlike most fishes, sharks have their pups in the womb, more like mammals. Dr. Hueter said sharks and mammals share many similarities. They reproduce very much like mammals and don’t spawn like most fish.  The males and females mate. The females get pregnant and, in most cases, they give birth to live young.” But Hueter said that they are quite different in many other ways. “First of all, they breathe water and don’t have a bony skeleton. But they are distinct genre of fish and, in many ways, very advanced animals.” 

Sharks have been under enormous fishing pressure in recent years – both commercially and recreationally. When compared to other fish species, they have relatively few offspring because of their mammal-like live births. As a result, the world’s shark populations have been declining at a rapid pace. But Dr. Hueter believes that we’re beginning to get a handle on it. But he also believes that the situation is still dire because of how big and how complex the world is and the many ways that these great predators are harvested for food.  “In many cultures “fining” sharks still goes on,. Sadly, it is still a major and very cruel tactic. When the fins are cut off and the animal is released back into the water, it invariably dies of starvation.”

Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Hueter and his many colleagues in the scientific community, sharks in the United States have been under federal management since 1994 and some of the stocks appear to be doing okay, such as the blacktip shark in the Gulf of Mexico. Hueter said that they are now fishable. “Unfortunately, many other large coastal shark species have been the main targets in the commercial fishery, such the sandbar shark. That species is still struggling and will require a very long rebuilding period of maybe 100 years or more,” he said.

Beginning January of next year, the National Marine Fisheries Service is scheduled to take the very bold step of basically shutting down the commercial fishery of sandbar sharks,.  They are restricting it to a very tiny fleet of what they’re calling “The Scientific Research Fishery.”  

There are those who might ask, “Why do we even need to protect sharks? What good will that do?” According to Dr. Hueter, those sharks play many important roles in our ocean’s pyramid of life. “Of course they are apex predators, which are needed to keep sea life in balance. Studies have been completed showing that, when you remove them, the effects cascade all the way down to parts of the eco system one wouldn’t even expect.” 

In addition, humans can learn a great deal from these fascinating creatures. In laboratory studies at Mote Marine, there is a group of scientists focusing on the bio-medical benefits of sharks. They have a very low incidence of cancer and possess some secrets in their DNA of how to fight that disease. “So if these animals are wiped out, we lose that bio-diversity that is needed to come up with some of these important answers,” said Hueter. 

Would the demise of sharks in our oceans be similar to wiping out the wolf on land, with a resultant overpopulation of deer? “With sharks, it’s much worse,” said Dr. Hueter “Where wolves are concerned, you’re talking about a single type of animal. But with sharks, you’re dealing with over 400 species. So to wipe out sharks, is to take out not just one species, but a whole group of animals that have been around for over 400-million years.” He added that “certainly there is an allowance under state and federal law for some sport fishing for sharks. We just want them to be used properly.”

Hueter is a strong advocate of catch and release, urging anglers to tag as many sharks as they can. “I am, however, very distressed at the resurgence of kill tournaments, and actually kind of puzzled about that. I thought we had done away with kill tournaments back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It really is the tragic killing and wasting of these great creatures that we’re against.” 

This is not to say that us anglers can’t occasionally catch and keep a smaller shark for dinner.  As a matter of fact, Dr. Hueter and his colleagues are not opposed to shark fishing. He said that, “with the abundance of juvenile blacktip and bonnethead  sharks, it would be okay to occasionally take one home for dinner. Taking the younger animals in some ways is actually better for the shark populations. The young ones have a naturally high rate of mortality and it’s the older animals that become more important for reproduction. And there is an allowance under state and federal law to take sharks for food.  As a matter of fact, I have published some recipes on how to cook shark which are really quite good.”  

So what should we know about sharks in order to catch them?  Dr. Hueter has some suggestions: 

“If you’re looking to hook and release one of the larger sharks, such as the abundant bull sharks that roam our waters, you will need to use a metal leader and obviously heavy pound test line. Your bait should be fresh, and with large sharks you don’t necessarily need live bait. And please do not use a treble hook. Always use a “J” hook that’s non-stainless steel. Then, if you have to cut the leader to release that shark – which I hope you’ll consider doing -- that hook will rust out and do no harm.” 

If you do keep a shark for the table, Dr. Hueter highly recommends properly flushing the meat. “This is because sharks have urea in their tissues as a way to balance the salts in the marine environment. But it flushes out very readily.” He adds that the steaks or fillets should be iced down very thoroughly and quickly. “Then, once you do all that, you’ve got a very good piece of meat that’s very low in fat, quite firm, with no bones. And it’s excellent for all kinds of recipes.”

For more on Dr. Bob Hueter’s shark studies and programs, visit Mote Marne Laboratory’s web site at mote.org.