What is most important to you during the Holidays? Family & Friends is the answer heard most often. If we focus on Family & Friends we will likely have a fun and loving Holiday experience. It …
New Research Confirms Benefits of Circle Hooks
26 Oct 20109:26 PM
Still not sure if you should be using circle hooks? Well, you should be – because new scientific research backs up the claims (again) that billfish are much more likely to survive a catch-and-release encounter when caught on circle hooks compared to traditional J hooks.
Dr. John Graves of the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (and Chairman of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Scientific Advisory Board) has published new data which shows blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish derive substantial conservation benefits from the use of circle hooks.
Read the full report here. And, if you haven’t already, please make the switch to circle hooks today.
NOTE: Dr. Graves and others will take the circle hook debate one step further this May when the 2011 International Circle Hook Symposium is held in Miami (the event is sponsored in part by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and the Guy Harvey Research Institute). The symposium will provide a forum for the review and discussion of relevant research concerning the viability of using circle hooks in recreational and commercial fisheries.
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![](mailto:?subject=New Research Confirms Benefits of Circle Hooks&body=Still not sure if you should be using circle hooks? Well, you should be - because <a title="Link to Dr. Graves study on Circl Hooks" href="http://www.inthebite.com/news/story.php?id=136" target="_blank">new scientific research</a> backs up the claims (again) that billfish are much more likely to survive a catch-and-release encounter when caught on circle hooks compared to traditional J hooks.
<a title="Bio for Dr. John Graves" href="http://www.vims.edu/people/graves_je/index.php" target="_blank">Dr. John Graves</a> of the <a title="VIMS web site" href="http://www.vims.edu/">Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences</a> (and Chairman of the <a title="GHOF Board of Directors" href="http://www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org/board_of_directors.html" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation Scientific Advisory Board</a>) has published new data which shows blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish derive substantial conservation benefits from the use of circle hooks.
<a title="Full report from Dr. John Graves" href="http://www.inthebite.com/news/story.php?id=136" target="_blank">Read the full report here</a>. And, if you haven't already, please make the switch to circle hooks today.
<a href="http://www.circlehooksymposium.org/"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-199" title="2011 International Circle Hook Symposium" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/circlehooksymposiumlogo.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="216" height="208" /></a>
NOTE: Dr. Graves and others will take the circle hook debate one step further this May when the <a title="Circle Hook Symposium web site" href="http://www.circlehooksymposium.org/" target="_blank">2011 International Circle Hook Symposium</a> is held in Miami (the event is sponsored in part by the <a title="GHOF web site" href="http://www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a> and the <a title="GHRI web site" href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a>). The symposium will provide a forum for the review and discussion of relevant research concerning the viability of using circle hooks in recreational and commercial fisheries. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/new-research-confirms-benefits-of-circle-hooks/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Tips to Green Your Holidays&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/christmas-card-david-cartee.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image" id="i-1755" alt="Image" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/christmas-card-david-cartee.jpg?w=650" /></a>What is most important to you during the Holidays? Family & Friends is the answer heard most often. If we focus on Family & Friends we will likely have a fun and loving Holiday experience. It is also I time to think of others. In the spirit of generosity to our fellow man, here are some ideas on how you can “Green Your Holidays.” Remember all the stuff you throw away after unwrapping the gifts? All that packaging is wasted material and wasted energy. Of course, we try to recycle it but better if we can jump ahead a few steps by buying gifts with less packaging to start. Here are some easy tips to help you GREEN your Holidays while having fun with Family & Friends: 1) Bring reusable shopping bags with you. 2) Consider buying reusable gift bags. Many of these are made out of recycled materials.3) Homemade baked goods are a great alternative to nick-knacks.4) Use the Sunday comics to wrap presents for kids. Plain newspaper with a re-used ribbon work great. Old paper charts work well for the mariner in your family. The 2013 calendar’s pretty pictures wrap small boxes well.5) Save those red ribbons, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.6) Make sure that your Holiday cards & wrapping paper are made from post-consumer recycled content.7) A Fishing Charter, a Dive Trip, Concert, Museum or Sporting Tickets are great gifts for someone on your list. There is next to no waste and not a lot of wrapping required AND they have the added benefit of time shared together.8) Buy a live tree and plant if after the Holidays. Your family will always remember that tree. Note: if you live above the frost line make sure to dig the hole while the ground is soft.9) Turn off your Holiday lights before you go to bed. Upgrade to LEDs when replacing lights.10) If you are leaving town for the Holidays, turn off your water heater and lower your thermostat to save on heating costs.AFTER the Holidays1) Recycle all that paper and cardboard.2) Cancel any catalogs you do not want to receive.3) Check with local waste managers to dispose of your tree so that it can be mulched rather than sent to the landfill. Avoid plastic tinsel as it can not be mulched.Christmas Sailfish courtesy of <a href="http://davidcartee.com">David Cartee Photography</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/tips-to-green-your-holidays/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Florida Bans Killing of Tiger and Hammerhead Sharks&body=<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/shark.jpg"><img title="Tiger shark" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/shark.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="296" /></a>
Killing Some Sharks in Florida Is Now A Crime
WorldFishingNetwork.com - Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, it will be illegal for anglers to harvest tiger <a href="http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/fishing-101/species/shark-746.aspx">sharks</a> and three species of hammerheads in Florida state waters.
The motion was brought forth by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Nov. 16 in an effort to further protect these top predators that rely on Florida waters to survive.
"Sometimes the appropriate measures of conservation are the problems we avoid, not the problems we have to fix," said Commissioner Brian Yablonski.
The new measures will also prohibit possession, sale, and exchange of tiger sharks and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead sharks. These sharks can still be caught, but only if released alive.
FWC's decision comes after more than a year of deliberation. Concerned citizens, shark researchers, and shark anglers expressed their desires to FWCto see increased protections for sharks.
Florida waters offer essential habitat for young sharks, which is important for species such as the slow-to-reproduce tiger shark, which takes about 15 years to reach maturity.
Sharks have been strictly regulated in Florida since 1992, with a one-shark-per-person, two-sharks-per-vessel daily bag limit for all recreational and commercial harvesters and a ban on shark finning. Roughly two-dozen overfished, vulnerable or rare shark species are catch-and-release only in Florida waters.
In addition to the new measures, FWC is also working on an educational campaign highlighting fishing and handling techniques that increase the survival rate of sharks that are caught and released while ensuring the safety of the anglers targeting them.
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/florida-bans-killing-of-tiger-and-hammerhead-sharks/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Walking in Darwin’s Footsteps on Guy Harvey Outpost Galapagos Expedition&body=When you embark on Guy Harvey Outpost's Galapagos Islands photo expedition May 4-12, you will be the envy of scientists from all over the world. Visiting five different islands in this remote eastern Pacific chain about 600 miles off Ecuador, you will observe and capture images of species found nowhere else on earth such as the Galapagos sea lion; Galapagos tortoise; and the marine iguana.
The unique animals that inspired naturalist Charles Darwin to lay out his world-changing theory of evolution in "On the Origin of Species" in 1859 are still revealing themselves to science in 2017 and you could be there as these revelations unfold.
In 2015, scientists discovered a new species of giant tortoise on Santa Cruz Island. For more than 150 years, the long-lived land animals on the eastern and western portions of the island were believed to be the same species, but genetic studies found the two populations were distinct. The eastern population became the 15th known tortoise species in the Galapagos, four of which are extinct.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_1201.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4618" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_1201.jpg" alt="DSC_1201" width="5008" height="3032" /></a>
One prominent geneticist who is itching to conduct DNA research in the islands is Dr. Mahmood Shivji, head of the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University near Fort Lauderdale. Shivji visited there several months ago on a trip with Guy Harvey Outpost President Mark Ellert and the company's Ecuadorean development partners. The scientist discussed possible avenues of research with officials of the Galapagos National Park.
"We hope to study movement patterns and migrations of a variety of animals-- sea lions, land tortoises, boobies, frigate birds, white marlin--in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park Service and scientists from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in the Galapagos," Shivji said.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_8051.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4620" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_8051.jpg" alt="DSC_8051" width="5008" height="3336" /></a>
There are lots of procedures to undergo for anyone wishing to conduct scientific research in the Galapagos; proposals must undergo several levels of government review before any permits are issued. And park officials expect scientists publishing their findings to share them with the park.
Shivji, who has made some breakthrough genetic discoveries surrounding sharks and billfish, can hardly wait.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_7083.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4619" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DSC_7083.jpg" alt="DSC_7083" width="2100" height="1095" /></a>
"DNA contains an amazing amount of information on the current and past status of species and populations. There's still lots of discoveries to be made," Shivji said. "In addition to generating basic knowledge of how animals evolve, that information also is essential in helping the Galapagos National Park inform their policies for conserving these amazing iconic species in this unique place."
So it's possible that as you hike and snorkel around these islands taking photographs with your guide, Sports Illustrated veteran Ron Modra, you could be capturing images of a bird, reptile or mammal destined to up-end modern science.
To book your Galapagos expedition, go to <a href="http://www.GHOGalapagos.com">www.GHOGalapagos.com</a> or call our reservations desk at 800-513-5257.
PHOTO CREDITS: Ron Modra https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/walking-in-darwins-footsteps-on-guy-harvey-outpost-galapagos-expedition/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and Shark Allies Support Signing of Shark Fin Trade Legislation in Florida&body=Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law the bill that bans the importation of shark fins into Florida and closes loopholes that enabled the illegal shark fin trade.
The Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation Act, named after the late Rep. Kristin Jacobs, was introduced in late 2019 and approved by the House and Senate in March. Rep. Jacobs co-spearheaded the legislation with support from the <a href="https://www.guyharvey.com/ocean-foundation">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a> (GHOF), <a href="https://www.sharkallies.com/">Shark Allies</a> and Senate bill sponsor Sen. Travis Huston (R-Palm Coast).
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mako3-e1493736606510.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4695" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mako3-e1493736606510.png" alt="Mako Your ultimate dive in isla mujeres" width="538" height="400" /></a>
“Prohibiting the importation of shark fins into Florida is a tremendous first step in protecting global shark populations. Until now, Florida’s airports and seaports were the main thoroughfare for illegal fins from the Caribbean and Central America,” said Guy Harvey, chairman of the GHOF. “We appreciate the efforts of Rep. Jacobs and wish she were here with us to see the results of her diligent work. We also thank the governor for his support and will continue to push this legislation nationally.”
This is a monumental victory for shark conservation advocates in North America since Florida is currently the number one hub for the sale, import and transport of ill-gotten shark fins. Researchers from Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) <a href="https://cnso.nova.edu/ghri/index.html">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> (GHRI) determined that fins from upward of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16972875">73 million</a> sharks end up in the global market annually. The high demand for shark fins in Asia fuels the global shark fin trade, with a large portion of the fins harvested illegally.
”I am grateful that the Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation Act is now a part of Florida law and moves our state in the right direction of putting an end to the ecologically harmful and morally repugnant practice of illegal shark finning,” said Senator Hutson.
The law finally puts an end to a long list of regulations and loopholes that prevented the proper enforcement of the Florida shark finning ban, which was implemented in 2012. These loopholes allowed Florida ports to become a major hub for the transport of illegal shark fins to China and other Asian countries where the price for shark fins exceeds normal market prices.
“State fin bans have paved the way to make a campaign for a national fin ban a possibility,” says Stefanie Brendl, executive director of Shark Allies. “And the state of Florida has been a key component of a movement towards ending the fin trade in the U.S. While a nationwide ban is the ultimate goal, it is uncertain when that will become a reality, and whether that effort will have to come with exemptions and concessions, as most federal acts do. Having state AND federal legislation in place assures that sharks receive protection sooner, rather than later. There simply is no reason why Florida ports needed to keep allowing fin shipments in hopes that national legislation would eventually fix the problem. Local action matters. It is the pathway to national action.”
About the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation: The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) conducts scientific research and hosts educational programs aimed at conserving the marine environment. The GHOF also funds affiliated researchers working to better understand our ocean ecosystem and educators helping to foster the next era of marine conservationists. The GHOF will help ensure that future generations can enjoy and benefit from a properly balanced ocean ecosystem. <a href="http://www.GHOF.org">www.GHOF.org</a>
About NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute: Established in 1999, NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) is a collaboration between the renowned marine artist, scientist and explorer, Dr. Guy Harvey, and Nova Southeastern University’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences. The mission of NSU’s GHRI is to provide the scientific information necessary to understand, conserve, and effectively manage the world’s marine fishes and their ecosystems. It is one of only a handful of private organizations dedicated exclusively to the science-based conservation of marine fish populations and biodiversity. The research, education and outreach activities of NSU’s GHRI are supported by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, Intradeco, extramural research grants, philanthropic donations by private businesses and individuals and NSU. Please visit <a href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/index.html">nova.edu/ocean/ghri/index.html</a> for more information.
About Shark Allies: Shark Allies is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of sharks and rays by focusing on taking action, raising awareness, and guiding initiatives that reduce the destructive overfishing of sharks. The organization has deep roots in shark fin trade legislation, creating the first of its kind in Hawaii in 2010, and many to follow. <a href="http://www.sharkallies.com">www.sharkallies.com</a>
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https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/guy-harvey-ocean-foundation-and-shark-allies-support-signing-of-shark-fin-trade-legislation-in-florida/){kind=link}
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