My sad prediction for this season is that it will be remembered as the year that the makos disappeared.
Those who have been fishing offshore since before they used fiberglass to build boats will tell you that there once was a time when tiger sharks and great whites ruled the ocean around Long Island. Find the huge pods of whales (also gone now) and beneath them you'd find the monster sharks waiting to grab the pod's young, old and sick. Find a dead whale floating and you had your pick of 500lb to 4,000lbers to choose to throw your bait to. Schools of blue sharks remained small because their pups could not stand a chance against these monsters of the deep. Then, one year in the early 80's, they were gone... I bet some of you can tell us the exact year that the tigers and great whites disappeared.
And the blue shark schools had a chance to grow a little larger...
Offshore anglers didn't care much that the tigers and whites were gone because to take up the slack there were hundreds of huge Dusky sharks. Most times they fought just like the huge tigers and you didn't know which you had until it was a few feet under the boat. Once hooked, a Dusky in the 600lb range was just one slow tug of war with a monster. The huge dusky sharks gave the larger blue sharks a great deal of competition for food. But then one year, the Dusky sharks disappeared.
And the schools of blue sharks grew larger because they had less competition for food.
Those who did inshore sharking, less than 30 miles from shore often had multiple hookups with brown sharks each trip (also known as "sandbar sharks". They didn't grow much more than 200lbs or so but they were PLENTIFUL. Once again, blue sharks had competition for food. Then, one year, the brown sharks disappeared.
And the blue sharks had less competition.
Other inshore sharkers often would do battle with sand tigers in the 150 to 200lb range. These awesome sharks had the head and teeth of a mako, the body of a nurse shark and the stripes of a tiger. If they were still around today you'd catch them like crazy whenever you tried chunking or floating clam bellies for bass. But one day, they were gone.
And the blue sharks had more opportunities to grow.
Every so often some early season sharkers would return back to the dock with what they beleived to be a nice mako. It didn't phase them that they were fishing in waters that were still a bit too cold for makos or that the shark rarely leaped out of the water. Once back at the dock they were often surprised to learn that their prized catch was actually a Porbeagle shark. Those events were always good for a few laughs at the dinner table when the steaks didn't taste quite right. In the sharks' bellies you could often find the remains of small blue sharks. Then, one year, the porbeagles just disappeared.
And there were less predators for the blue sharks to worry about.
In the late 80's and early 90's there were some great scalloped hammerhead shark activity in our area. These fish rarely grew over 200lbs in our waters, but they could get your hearts pumping as they loved to swim on the surface with their HUGE dorsal fins protruding in the air. Their willingness to take a bait when other sharks had lockjaw accounted for thousands of dollars of tournament winnings for those trip-saving hammerheads. Their aggresive eating took food away from the blue sharks. But then one year, the hammerheads disappeared.
And the blue sharks grew.
Just as sunfish commonly fool us when first sighted, there was a time when the huge mass of basking sharks in our waters would fool anglers into thinking that they were giant tiger or white sharks. These plankton eaters even spooked the blue sharks. But then, one year, the basking sharks were gone.
And the blue sharks had no more fear.
With the water void of many of the aggressive species of sharks that were easy to catch, anglers around Long Island started to pay more notice to and catch more and more of the elusive thresher sharks. But the simple fact remains that the thresher never boasted a large population. Despite the fact that they are still caught here an there, we are almost at the point of stating that they too have disappeared.
That leaves us with just the makos and the blue sharks. It has a common undertone that many of us discussed earlier this month;
The sea robins and the fluke.
Some will argue that last year was one of the best mako years EVER. But best for who... the mako or us?? From the species point of view, it was one of the WORST years for makos in our area.
Some will say that the increase in mako landings might have something to do with the DECREASE in the bluefish population. Any of us who had makos last year will tell you that they hit the baits like they hadn't eaten in over a week! Large makos, small makos, they all came back to the dock. I can only speak of what happened with the recreational catches, but I'm sure that it was a banner mako year for commercial longliners as well.
Like the sea robins, with the seas void of their predators, blue shark schools are free to multiply as much as their food supply allows them. As their numbers sky-rocket, they will surely put even more pressure on the other shark populations and their food supplies (such as bluefish). We see evidence of this happening already (remember last year, a new WORLD RECORD blue shark was landed in Montauk!).
Sorry to say this, but my prediction is that the mako population will begin a sharp decline. Yes, makos will be caught. But keep in mind that with almost any species their population will go through a cycle. As their food supply has greatly diminished, so will their population. Not until the bluefish population rebounds will the mako return. It's only a matter of time before the shortfin mako gets added to that growing list of protected species that are illegal to possess.
And the blue sharks will continue to grow and grow and grow...
Those who have been fishing offshore since before they used fiberglass to build boats will tell you that there once was a time when tiger sharks and great whites ruled the ocean around Long Island. Find the huge pods of whales (also gone now) and beneath them you'd find the monster sharks waiting to grab the pod's young, old and sick. Find a dead whale floating and you had your pick of 500lb to 4,000lbers to choose to throw your bait to. Schools of blue sharks remained small because their pups could not stand a chance against these monsters of the deep. Then, one year in the early 80's, they were gone... I bet some of you can tell us the exact year that the tigers and great whites disappeared.
And the blue shark schools had a chance to grow a little larger...
Offshore anglers didn't care much that the tigers and whites were gone because to take up the slack there were hundreds of huge Dusky sharks. Most times they fought just like the huge tigers and you didn't know which you had until it was a few feet under the boat. Once hooked, a Dusky in the 600lb range was just one slow tug of war with a monster. The huge dusky sharks gave the larger blue sharks a great deal of competition for food. But then one year, the Dusky sharks disappeared.
And the schools of blue sharks grew larger because they had less competition for food.
Those who did inshore sharking, less than 30 miles from shore often had multiple hookups with brown sharks each trip (also known as "sandbar sharks". They didn't grow much more than 200lbs or so but they were PLENTIFUL. Once again, blue sharks had competition for food. Then, one year, the brown sharks disappeared.
And the blue sharks had less competition.
Other inshore sharkers often would do battle with sand tigers in the 150 to 200lb range. These awesome sharks had the head and teeth of a mako, the body of a nurse shark and the stripes of a tiger. If they were still around today you'd catch them like crazy whenever you tried chunking or floating clam bellies for bass. But one day, they were gone.
And the blue sharks had more opportunities to grow.
Every so often some early season sharkers would return back to the dock with what they beleived to be a nice mako. It didn't phase them that they were fishing in waters that were still a bit too cold for makos or that the shark rarely leaped out of the water. Once back at the dock they were often surprised to learn that their prized catch was actually a Porbeagle shark. Those events were always good for a few laughs at the dinner table when the steaks didn't taste quite right. In the sharks' bellies you could often find the remains of small blue sharks. Then, one year, the porbeagles just disappeared.
And there were less predators for the blue sharks to worry about.
In the late 80's and early 90's there were some great scalloped hammerhead shark activity in our area. These fish rarely grew over 200lbs in our waters, but they could get your hearts pumping as they loved to swim on the surface with their HUGE dorsal fins protruding in the air. Their willingness to take a bait when other sharks had lockjaw accounted for thousands of dollars of tournament winnings for those trip-saving hammerheads. Their aggresive eating took food away from the blue sharks. But then one year, the hammerheads disappeared.
And the blue sharks grew.
Just as sunfish commonly fool us when first sighted, there was a time when the huge mass of basking sharks in our waters would fool anglers into thinking that they were giant tiger or white sharks. These plankton eaters even spooked the blue sharks. But then, one year, the basking sharks were gone.
And the blue sharks had no more fear.
With the water void of many of the aggressive species of sharks that were easy to catch, anglers around Long Island started to pay more notice to and catch more and more of the elusive thresher sharks. But the simple fact remains that the thresher never boasted a large population. Despite the fact that they are still caught here an there, we are almost at the point of stating that they too have disappeared.
That leaves us with just the makos and the blue sharks. It has a common undertone that many of us discussed earlier this month;
The sea robins and the fluke.
Some will argue that last year was one of the best mako years EVER. But best for who... the mako or us?? From the species point of view, it was one of the WORST years for makos in our area.
Some will say that the increase in mako landings might have something to do with the DECREASE in the bluefish population. Any of us who had makos last year will tell you that they hit the baits like they hadn't eaten in over a week! Large makos, small makos, they all came back to the dock. I can only speak of what happened with the recreational catches, but I'm sure that it was a banner mako year for commercial longliners as well.
Like the sea robins, with the seas void of their predators, blue shark schools are free to multiply as much as their food supply allows them. As their numbers sky-rocket, they will surely put even more pressure on the other shark populations and their food supplies (such as bluefish). We see evidence of this happening already (remember last year, a new WORLD RECORD blue shark was landed in Montauk!).
Sorry to say this, but my prediction is that the mako population will begin a sharp decline. Yes, makos will be caught. But keep in mind that with almost any species their population will go through a cycle. As their food supply has greatly diminished, so will their population. Not until the bluefish population rebounds will the mako return. It's only a matter of time before the shortfin mako gets added to that growing list of protected species that are illegal to possess.
And the blue sharks will continue to grow and grow and grow...
