The short fin mako is a powerhouse swimmer
Greetings all!
For those of you that have been following my posts on the Mako shark fishing ban you may want to take a look at the following link. I’d also recommend that you download the fact sheet about the three species listed as migratory species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Listing of porbeagle and mako sharks as migratory species
Today we’ll take a look at the life cycle of the Mako shark. The marvelous mako has been clocked at around 50 kilometers per hour and is clearly the fastest swimmer of all sharks. As a matter of interest in one of my old posts I discussed the life cycle of the fastest fish in the sea – the sailfish – which has been clocked at speeds of 110 kilometers per hour. In comparison a goldfish in peak physical condition can reach speeds of just over 2 kilometers per hour! But I digress…
The mako is an ovoviviparous shark. What the?
This means that the mako gives birth to live young after their eggs have hatched and developed in the womb. A healthy mako mother’s pregnancy will last between 14 and 18 months after which time they will set off for shallow water to give birth to between 4 to 18 young sharks. A baby mako is around 75cm when born and will already have a full set of razor sharp teeth! It must take a bit out of the poor female mako as she is said to take a break from reproduction for at least 18 months after giving birth. The length of time taken to reproduce and the long break afterwards means that the breeding capacity and potential of the species is quite low. On the upside because the young are quite large they are rarely preyed upon and have good potential to fully develop. In the ocean it pays to be on the top of the food chain!
Makos are internally fertilized by males who inseminate the female with claspers that develop on their pelvic fins.
The maximum age of a mako is said to be just under 30 years. Adult females are larger than their male counterparts and can grow to 4 meters in length and weigh up to 500kg. By the way, the porbeagle shark that is also caught up in the fishing ban is thought to live up to 65 years.
Male makos reach sexual maturity at 2m in length whilst females do so at around 3m.
Although listed as a migratory species over 11500 makos have been tagged in Australian waters and it is said to be a rarity to recapture them beyond our limits. A satellite tagging program that has been going for two years in South Australia suggests that there is little predictability or set pattern in mako migration.
Interestingly this appears to be contrary to makos in northern hemisphere waters who are said to be “highly migratory” and often travel “over entire ocean basins”.
Anyway, so there you have it. In summary with such lengthy gestation periods with few pups born there is a case to be had that overfishing would put pressure on the continued existence of the mako shark. The thing is this – populations within Australian territorial waters are not over-stressed by recreational fishermen. In fact it is the recreational fishermen that continue to tag and release these species. The more data we can capture about the habits of the mako shark will serve to protect the species for years to come.
Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs
Shortfin Mako Shark - not so prevalent in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic Oceans
Greetings all,
I recently wrote a blog about the environment minister Mr Peter Garrett proposing changes to the current legislation that has impacted recreational fishing for longfin mako, shortfin mako and porbeagle sharks. See;
http://skippermeggs.com/blog/index.php/mako-shark-fishing-ban-common-sense-prevails/
To recap, Australia is a signatory to an international treaty and “is prohibited to “kill, injure or take” members of a listed migratory species in Commonwealth waters”. The above sharks are in sharp decline in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic ocean and have had bans placed on their capture and therefore we have been impacted as well. Trouble is they are not endangered locally and the Australian populations have nothing to do with Northern Hemisphere stocks.
So what is the current situation?
I contacted both NSW state and federal departments to check the current impact on recreational fisherman.
Here’s the drum…
1. There is a current ban in place on fishing for these species however you need to take into account the following points below
2. From an enforcement point of view there is no impact on catch and release fishing in state waters (usually three nautical miles off the coast)
3. In the Commonwealth zone (3-200 nautical miles off the coast) there will be no enforcement unless there is a significant impact on the species (ie a recreational fisherman is unlikely to make a “significant impact” and therefore can still target makos)
4. An amendment is being worked on now to take into account suitable exemptions
5. Parliament will sit on 22nd February and the amendments making fishing for the species in question legal will be introduced and hopefully approved.
Of course Mr Garrett is under fire at present due to the deaths of people involved in the insulation installation debacle. Let’s hope he keeps to the 22nd February deadline to clear the current mixed messages on the mako fishing ban.
Anyway, for now it seems like it is business as usual for mako fisherman around the country which is good news. Remember to fish responsibly and where possible tag and release and we will still be fishing for these great creatures for many years to come.
Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs
Posted by Meggs | Weipa fishing book | Posted on February 11th, 2010
Black Jew are a popular catch in Weipa waters
Greetings all!
There has been sensational interest in my “Ultimate Guide to Fishing Weipa” with many people taking the opportunity to download the book from;
www.skippermeggs.com/book/
I’m very pleased with the fact that I can help people prepare to fish the area responsibly and I have had several emailers wanting to know whether or not the book will be available in published format at local fishing stores and tackle shops.
This was always the plan in the beginning and my publisher was ready to push the button and along came the global financial crises and that put an end to that. As you can imagine Weipa is a small town and as such only a small run of 2000 copies was planned for production. The idea behind the book was to be able to give advice to people BEFORE they made the trip up north and so I’ve bitten the bullet and made it available in eBook format so that there are no further delays in getting it into the hands of people that actually need it today. Unfortunately it won’t be available from fishing stores and tackle shops in the near future.
With the wet season nearly over, it’s coming up to prime fishing time in Weipa and the eBook will help you make the most of your trip.
Even if you’re not heading off to Weipa you may like to take a look at it anyway – the chapter on “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Fish” is worth a read on its own!
Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs
Posted by Meggs | Weipa fishing book | Posted on February 2nd, 2010
Wild Weipa - with more drains than Sydney Water! Note the croc slide right of picture
Greetings all,
The Skipper Meggs Ultimate Guide to Fishing Weipa is now available for download at;
www.skippermeggs.com/book/
More than just an eBook, it’s over 40,000 words of information jam packed into one easy to read PDF file!
The reason I put this book together was because the Fishing & Reef Tour Specialists fished this magnificent paradise a few years back and when we were preparing to go we just couldn’t find any information about the place. Being a remote fishing destination we wanted to be prepared as much as possible. If only I had this eBook BEFORE we left!
I wanted to make sure that no one else would have to do as much research as we did so that when they got to Weipa they knew exactly what to do and where to go to get straight into the fishing action.
Yes, the book does give you directions to fishing hot spots, what to take including which lures (and for that matter it also gives you the low-down on when, where and how to catch mud crabs in Weipa) but it also provides insightful information about responsible fishing.
Anyway, more detailed information is available at;
www.skippermeggs.com/book/
I hope you enjoy it!
Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs
