Greetings all,

I have a theory that I believe is quite unique that can be backed up by what I know to be irrefutable evidence.

You see I’ve been studying fish now for over 40 years and there is one commonality that I have witnessed during that time that cannot be disputed. Rest assured, there can be no counter arguments or counter claims. I have proof beyond a reasonable doubt that will take the sting and mystery out of so-called killer shark “attacks”.

Sit back and relax, take a deep breath as this astounding observation and revelation may shock you…

Guess what? After years of intense study, it is my belief and understanding that neither fish or sharks were blessed with an opposable thumb and forefinger. In fact, they don’t have hands (or arms) at all – amazing!

Unless they’re sold in supermarkets, fish fingers just don’t exist.

What the?


So that being the case the real question to ask yourself is (drum role please) “how do they pick things up?”

Ahhhh…with their mouths of course!

Fish use their mouths to test just about anything that takes their fancy and a popular misconception is that everything they pick up they intend to eat.

That is so wrong!

In fact nine times out of ten a fish will pick something up with its mouth and then unceremoniously spit it straight out. This is similar to how human beings pick up things with their hands and then discard them. Interestingly a newborn child will also display this trait. Ask any new mother and they will tell you that everything has a tendency to be picked up and tested in a new born’s mouth.

There are two morals to this story.

Firstly for fishermen it is important to consider the attractiveness and even downright curious nature of what we present to the fish to encourage it to sample the bait or lure in its mouth.

The other moral is that the shark has been blamed for “attacking” people and for being a real “man eater” whilst the truth is that they are not swimming around the ocean looking for people to eat. Think for a moment – how many people have actually been eaten whole by a shark? You would be hard pressed to think of a single incident and with the numbers of sharks killed and ripped open if it was the case there would be whole human carcasses flopping out of their entrails on docks across the world. It’s simply not the case.

Ask yourself how many people have been “attacked” and spat out and it’s quite obvious that the vast majority have.

And I believe it’s all because of the simple fact that poor old sharks don’t have hands…

Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs

The short fin mako is a powerhouse swimmer

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

Shortfin Mako Shark - not so prevalent in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic Oceans

Greetings all,

Whilst the Environment Minister Mr Peter Garrett is not handing out free roof insulation he is on to more pressing issues – like redrafting legislation that would have seen the end of recreational mako shark fishing throughout the country at the end of January. Angry anglers from around the nation put together a petition signed by over 5000 people seeking to have the proposed ban lifted. Thankfully common sense – an often missing element in Australian politics – seems to have won through and legislation will be introduced to see keen Australian fisherman legally still chasing the marvelous Mako shark after January 31st 2010.

For the record the longfin mako, shortfin mako and porbeagle sharks were to be included on the endangered species list and fishing banned for these species as from January 29, 2010. Many boaties have invested plenty in fishing tackle and vessels to be able to catch these species and of course charter boat operators were concerned for their livelihoods. Others contemplated the ban spreading to other recreational targeted fish such as coral trout and giant trevally to name a couple and tackle stores around the country were left very concerned indeed.

That being said – why is the mako shark being added to this list?

Well apparently the mako’s problem is not associated with Australian waters but their numbers have dwindled in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The United Nations sponsored Convention on Migratory Species is listing several sharks, including short-finned makos, for complete protection and 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 funny thing is the local population of mako’s have nothing to do with northern waters. Biologically the ban makes no sense whatsoever because there is no sharing of populations between the impacted areas. Furthermore, the mako’s are not under threat in Australian waters at all and are a popular tag and release species. In fact, the Fishing and Reef Tour Specialists are off to the southern coast of NSW to target this species in an overnight adventure in June of this year which could have been called off if this nonsensical ban continued.

Bans are already in place for other sharks such as the great white and the grey nurse.

Next week I will run through the life cycle of the mako shark.

Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs

PS. For the latest update on the mako fishing ban see;

http://skippermeggs.com/blog/index.php/mako-shark-ban-confusion-can-you-target-take-or-tag/