Hello everyone. Following my New Jersey Shark blog, I have been pretty quiet. Right now I am sitting back and waiting on a couple of things. One of the things I am waiting on is the annual Mako Mania Tournament based out of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. Following this year's tournament I plan on doing a blog that will dive deeper into just how dangerous this tournament and other shark kill tournaments are to not only shark populations, but on shark tourism as well. The other, far more alarming thing is the developing story that NOAA is seeking to pass regulations that will potentially undermine the 10 states shark conservation laws that have passed over the past few years. I have not done a full blog on this topic as of yet because I am still reading up on it and do not want to rant or anything like that until I understand what exactly is going on with it. So for now all I can say is that if these regulations are passed, it will be a large step backwards in the fight to protect sharks.
On the fronts of bluefin tuna and manta rays, there has not been much news to report on. Of course this can change at anytime, but as of now, there isn't too much going on conservation wise. So here is the immediate plan for these two animals as far as this blog goes. In the case of mantas I will be taking a look at tourism and manta rays. In the case of the bluefin, I'll be taking a closer look into the world of sushi and illegal fishing of these fish that are putting more and more pressure on these animals on a daily basis. While things have gone quiet for the time being, expect business to pick up in the very near future. Until then, remember it only takes one person to start something big!
