# What's really happened to the surf and pier fishing!



## Gary Carrier (Oct 11, 2012)

I was poo-pooed by many on this board when I said my surf fishing and pier fishing experiences had diminished considerably on my annual trek to Myrtle Beach in the fall when I said I thought the sharks were taking over the surf. Here is confirmation. Sorry, but I'm a scientist. The sharks are staying in Myrtle Beach.

*Blacktip sharks in sharp decline off Florida coast – and Trump's not helping
*
If the trend continues, researchers warn, the migration of blacktip sharks could grind to a halt because of the rapidly warming ocean

Blacktip sharks’ migration could be affected by climate change.

Blacktip sharks that journey down the Florida coast have declined in number so sharply
that researchers warn one of the largest migrations in US waters could grind to a halt because of the rapidly warming ocean.

A stretch of coastal south-eastern Florida is usually thick with as many as 15,000 blacktip sharks on any given day in February and March as the animals forge southwards from the Carolinas region in search of agreeably warm waters in winter.

However, aerial surveys of the migration last year found this number had slumped by around two-thirds, to 4,000 sharks. Researchers are still collating the 2018 tally but warn it is likely to match or even fall below last year’s level.

“Last year we had very warm waters and very few sharks, and 2018 so far has been exceptionally warm,” said Dr Stephen Kajiura, a shark researcher at Florida Atlantic University. “We just aren’t seeing the numbers; there are remarkably few sharks. It really indicates that their migration is tied closely to temperature and if this trend continues we may not see sharks here any more.”

For the past eight years, Kajiura and his team have used a light aircraft to video the migration of the sharks along a section of Florida coast stretching from Miami Beach to Jupiter Bay. He said that years with unusually warm waters have consistently resulted in sharks choosing not to move south, instead remaining in areas further north that match their ideal temperature of around 69F to 77F (21C to 25C).


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## js1172 (Jun 5, 2012)

Fish do adapt, I've fished the lakes that were built to cool power plants, according to scientists the fish should be found in the thermocline, however most of the gamefish are found in 2-8 ft. of water with water temps that can average 93 degrees.
JS


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## ChefRobb (Jan 8, 2016)

But it's Trump's fault..... Yeah. Gotcha.


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## yerbyray (May 18, 2010)

I am no fish scientist but I feel it is save to say that there are a multitude of reasons why fishing is declining in general. Beach re-nourishment (displaces the sand fleas so no food for bait fish and their larger cousins), The decline in menhaden (thanks to the fish oil craze) has reduced food supply, the possibility of over fishing by both commercial and recreational fishing, global pollution issues, and the issues of adverse weather are all contributing factors. I am no fan of the President or any President in the last fifty years so it is unfair to lay blame on them.

On the bright side....Global warming may have beneficial effects. Major storms will provide more structure (troughs, slews, etc.) along the beach and rising sea levels will mean a shorter drive for me to get there


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## ROWDY ROD (Jul 25, 2017)

DITO !!!!! "CHEFROB". Great reply "YERBYRAY" ... 

Keep those hooks wet.


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## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

Climate Change ... yeah we have 4
Global Warming is BULL CHIT! No such thing.
I remember I was a kid in the 70s and it was cold... A new ice age and the earth was going to freeze to death, fast forward 40 years and the ice caps are going to melt..is the newer argument.
You being a "retired" scientist of what? Global warming/cooling is not and NEVER WILL BE a settled science. If you spend anytime outdoors, to the degree true outdoors people do, you'd understand the earth goes through cycles.

As far as you not catching fish... well Myrtle Beach isn't exactly a fishing Mecca. Combine that with the most likely possibility of being able to read the surf, define structure and what attracts fish. Knowing wind direction, water clarity, water temps, targeted species, and tidal changes. Is the reason you ain't catching fish. 

I can tell you there are lots and lots of sharks out there. Blacktips? Absolutely! The one I caught early in our Drum Season would have surely met his fate of death if I could have gotten him in a net. After ten minutes of trying he eventually bit through the 80# bite leader and 10/0 Demon Circle hook. I judged it to be at least 60" long. Myrtle Beach and all of Horry County Shark Fishing is against the law anyway. Sharks are going to go where thier food is anyway. Usually in the Fall it's not Myrtle Beach Tourists.

Blaming it on Trump??? Sounds kinda stupid even for a scientist.


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## Joe H (Sep 9, 2015)

Well dabig, glad that you have a greater "understanding" of climate than most. I'm concerned that my grandkids will have the pleasure to enjoy what we have experienced. Keep your head in the sand about reality. Put on your aluminium hat and spout prolific, brother!


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2018)

DaBig2na said:


> Climate Change ... yeah we have 4
> Global Warming is BULL CHIT! No such thing.
> I remember I was a kid in the 70s and it was cold... A new ice age and the earth was going to freeze to death, fast forward 40 years and the ice caps are going to melt..is the newer argument.
> You being a "retired" scientist of what? Global warming/cooling is not and NEVER WILL BE a settled science. If you spend anytime outdoors, to the degree true outdoors people do, you'd understand the earth goes through cycles.
> ...


I completely agree with you.


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## ChefRobb (Jan 8, 2016)

So let's talk about that article. First, it states CLEARLY that the study showed a decline in migrating sharks for ONE YEAR. I'm sorry, but one year does not a trend make. Even two years, or three, because there's no context. No discussion whatsoever of whether or not this has EVER happened before. Second, it fails to adequately explain where those sharks went, instead of flowing down the coast. Did they move East to warmer tropical waters? Go around the study area? We don't know. Third, the article ignores completely that the shark population in general is on the rise and may have affected migration patterns. Again...a little historical perspective is necessary. All in all, the article comes off as shallow and hysterical.

Meanwhile, I've just come off of 2 years of the best fishing in 35 years here...... because I adapted to what the fish wanted, instead of going with what worked decades ago.


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## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

Joe H said:


> Well dabig, glad that you have a greater "understanding" of climate than most. I'm concerned that my grandkids will have the pleasure to enjoy what we have experienced. Keep your head in the sand about reality. Put on your aluminium hat and spout prolific, brother!


I'm firmly in Reality Pal. I just don't drink the Kool Aid. 
You might need to get out of the A/C every once and a while yourself.

Only thing I might stick in the sand is a sand spike. 

Your Grand kids Probably won't.. I hope in your case it may be different. 

Most of the kids today spend more time indoors than we spent outdoors.. noses buried in video games, and social networks... You ever notice we don't see kids outside playing anymore, riding bikes, or parents screaming for their kids to come in for a bath and dinner?

When I was a kid you never heard of diabetes , peanut allergies, childhood obesity or school shootings. My Bike was my freedom, hanging with other kids, swimming at an abandoned rock quarry, and riding it to a new fishing spot.


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## Gary Carrier (Oct 11, 2012)

ChefRobb said:


> So let's talk about that article. First, it states CLEARLY that the study showed a decline in migrating sharks for ONE YEAR. I'm sorry, but one year does not a trend make. Even two years, or three, because there's no context. No discussion whatsoever of whether or not this has EVER happened before. Second, it fails to adequately explain where those sharks went, instead of flowing down the coast. Did they move East to warmer tropical waters? Go around the study area? We don't know. Third, the article ignores completely that the shark population in general is on the rise and may have affected migration patterns. Again...a little historical perspective is necessary. All in all, the article comes off as shallow and hysterical.
> 
> Meanwhile, I've just come off of 2 years of the best fishing in 35 years here...... because I adapted to what the fish wanted, instead of going with what worked decades ago.


By the way, do you ever check the water temperature and compare it to the same time in previous years? Pretty simple to check if you have a thermometer. Got any dated pictures of that monster you caught from the surf? Just wondering! This board doesn't seem to confirm your statement about the best fishing in 35 years. Just looking over the posts for the last 2 years. Quite the opposite, my friend!


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## ROWDY ROD (Jul 25, 2017)

I think we all can agree that " water and air, the two essential elements on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans," It is time to clean up mother earth, she can't take much more. Global warming or not....... it is past time.


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## ChefRobb (Jan 8, 2016)

Gary Carrier said:


> By the way, do you ever check the water temperature and compare it to the same time in previous years? Pretty simple to check if you have a thermometer. Got any dated pictures of that monster you caught from the surf? Just wondering! This board doesn't seem to confirm your statement about the best fishing in 35 years. Just looking over the posts for the last 2 years. Quite the opposite, my friend!


Actually....all you have to do is go back over my posts from the last 2 years to see all the pictures I've posted AND all the information I posted on how I caught those fish when guys around me weren't. (Dated pictures? Why? Are you afraid I'll lie about what I caught and when?) As far as the water temperature issue goes, your statement is a stalking horse. I asked for context.... not whether you could find one single item to lay the blame on. Whether the water was warmer or not is meaningless without scientific context. How about this..... what was the salinity level of the coastal water during that period? A change in salinity levels of water affects the presence of other aquatic creatures, so what about that factor? Of this...where did the prey fish go along the coast? Did they change their migration path for some reason, and the sharks followed? Like I said...that article was shallow and hysterical. I think I'll look for something a lot more scientific and dispassionate in it's assessments to help me form my opinions.


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## Gary Carrier (Oct 11, 2012)

OK, here is something in your words a little more scientific and dispassionate. Interesting little picture on the Carolina coastline. Reckon that might cause a problem? Would love your opinion!
https://sealevelrise.org/causes/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8MOo76TY2QIVEFmGCh38VAnPEAAYASAAEgLqnvD_BwE


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## yerbyray (May 18, 2010)

Gary Carrier;[url said:


> https://sealevelrise.org/causes/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8MOo76TY2QIVEFmGCh38VAnPEAAYASAAEgLqnvD_BwE[/url]


They forgot the fifth and sixth culprits....more fat kids in the surf and beer drinkers peeing off piers is adding to rising sea levels.


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## ROWDY ROD (Jul 25, 2017)

This might explain the migration of the sharks and other fish in the ocean. Could this rise the temp of the water? Hundreds of billions of tons of trash in the ocean, no, this could not rise the sea level, could it? I always take a garbage bag with me to pick up trash others have left, and most is trash left by the fisherman / woman. However, we are all the blame.......


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## dialout (Feb 5, 2011)




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## ROWDY ROD (Jul 25, 2017)

Wow!!!!!


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## ChefRobb (Jan 8, 2016)

Gary Carrier said:


> OK, here is something in your words a little more scientific and dispassionate. Interesting little picture on the Carolina coastline. Reckon that might cause a problem? Would love your opinion!
> https://sealevelrise.org/causes/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8MOo76TY2QIVEFmGCh38VAnPEAAYASAAEgLqnvD_BwE


Do you not see the obvious fault staring at you in the face? "Sinking land makes the streets and buildings that much lower to the sea. In Hampton Roads, Virginia, because so much water is being pumped out of the ground, the ground is sinking to where the groundwater used to be. The land is getting 1 inch lower every 10 years and causing over half of Hampton Roads’ sea level rise" 

In other words, the ground is settling in some places....but this is supposed to be evidence of ocean levels RISING? No, that is jsut about the dumbest thing an faux-science group could try to foist off on an ill-informed public. If sea levels are rising (which is being disputed by some scientists) and we STOPPED the rise, according to their logic it would STILL be rising because some land is sinking. Let that sink in for a moment.

That aside..... I'm still asking for context for that report. There's still not enough time to scientifically determine that this is a trend among sharks, and there's NO information on where they're going if they aren't migrating down the coast, let alone why. It's just a shallow report with little to say for it.


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## ChefRobb (Jan 8, 2016)

ROWDY ROD said:


> Wow!!!!!


I think the North Pacific Gyre may be largely comprised of the phenomenal amount of trash swept into the ocean by the Tsunami off of Fukashima a while back. It was an incredibly destructive event. In the years after that event ocean researchers and others were finding these massive rafts of trash with whole houses floating in them! Another problem is that we still have people illegally taking barges of garbage out to sea and dumping them when they think nobody is around to find out.


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## ROWDY ROD (Jul 25, 2017)

Yup!!


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## Gary Carrier (Oct 11, 2012)

"There's still not enough time to scientifically determine that this is a trend among sharks, and there's NO information on where they're going if they aren't migrating down the coast, let alone why. It's just a shallow report with little to say for it." 

To quote the article, "A stretch of coastal south-eastern Florida is usually thick with as many as 15,000 blacktip sharks on any given day in February and March as the animals forge southwards *from the Carolina's region* in search of agreeably warm waters in winter. For such an avid fisherman, I am VERY surprised that you don't know they are not going anywhere. They are staying right here. Have you not noticed an increase in the number of sharks hanging around Myrtle Beach?


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## steelerfan (Jul 15, 2013)

Really, let's put this all into context.
Sand pumping hurts the beach and the ecosystem.
Weather and water temperatures fluctuate over eons from ice age to warming trends. Last week, last month, last year, or 5 years have no relevance to the big picture. That's just spinning what little data there is.
Donald Trump has only been in office for less than a year. Only a fool could place any blame on him.
I had a good year also, Chef Robb, bigger fish, especially whiting from the surf. It's fishing, comprised out right place, time, knowledge, experience, bait, and yes for the scientists - blind luck!
Tight lines and God bless!:fishing:


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## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

No decline in black tips at the Point last spring. I sure hope they don’t show up like that again. It’s been a bad last few years with way to many black tips


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## Gary Carrier (Oct 11, 2012)

Exactly!


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## Gary Carrier (Oct 11, 2012)

ChefRobb said:


> But it's Trump's fault..... Yeah. Gotcha.


Hey, Bud. I didn't write the article. It came from the United States number one ally in the world who your boy won't protect but prefers his boy. Having served 25 years in our armed forces, I care about out country being destroyed in more ways than one. In the meantime, you fish. Tight lines.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...line-off-florida-coast-and-trumps-not-helping


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2018)

Gary Carrier said:


> Hey, Bud. I didn't write the article. It came from the United States number one ally in the world who your boy won't protect but prefers his boy. Having served 25 years in our armed forces, I care about out country being destroyed in more ways than one. In the meantime, you fish. Tight lines.
> https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...line-off-florida-coast-and-trumps-not-helping


I checked out that website. What I found was pretty self-explanatory about their agenda. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/love-and-sex

Sorry, but I prefer facts, not Liberal fake news !


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2018)

PierRat4Life said:


> Gary Carrier said:
> 
> 
> > Hey, Bud. I didn't write the article. It came from the United States number one ally in the world who your boy won't protect but prefers his boy. Having served 25 years in our armed forces, I care about out country being destroyed in more ways than one. In the meantime, you fish. Tight lines.
> ...


The guardian is nothing more than click bait trash. It's the place to go when you need to find today's reason that you hate all men, why women are never at fault for anything, who is responsible for toxic masculinity, how to get "woke", and why every white man or woman who works hard for what they have are somehow privileged. I wouldn't wipe my butt with that paper if it was my only option.


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