Proceeds benefit education and marine conservation in the State of Florida FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—APRIL 3, 2012— For fans of marine wildlife artist and conservationist Guy Harvey there’s a new collector’s …
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=New GUY HARVEY® Florida Lottery Scratch-Off Game Debuts Today&body=<a href="http://www.flalottery.com/promote.do"><img title="Guy Harvey Scratch-Off Game " src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/flalotterymobilelandingpage.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="508" /></a>
Proceeds benefit education and marine conservation in the State of Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—APRIL 3, 2012— For fans of marine wildlife artist and conservationist <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guy Harvey</a> there’s a new collector’s series of lottery tickets that will be available starting today—priced at just $2.
Dr. Harvey and the <a title="Florida Lottery web site" href="http://www.flalottery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Florida Lottery</a> today are officially launching the <a title="Guy Harvey Scratch-Off Game" href="http://www.flalottery.com/promote.do" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GUY HARVEY® Scratch-Off game</a>, featuring a series of <a title="Guy Harvey Scratch-Off Tickets" href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150586035320966.370981.120398390965&type=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">six colorful wildlife illustrations</a> designed by the world renowned marine artist.
During a March 23rd <a title="Video highlights from press conference" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/DrGuyHarvey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">press conference</a>, Dr. Harvey announced that his licensing proceeds from the sale of the tickets will benefit the <a title="GHOF web site" href="http://www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation</a>, a marine conservation organization that funds educational programs aimed at informing children and young adults about their role in conserving Florida’s marine ecosystem.
Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O’Connell anticipates sales of the GUY HARVEY® Scratch-Off Game to generate about $3.5 million for Florida’s education system.
“This partnership with the Florida Lottery is unique and I am happy to launch a product that will help Florida’s schools as well as the state’s precious marine resources,” said Dr. Guy Harvey. “I am especially looking forward to fishing with the winner of the <a title="Cayman Islands web site" href="http://www.caymanislands.ky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grand Cayman</a> trip. We will have a great time!”
Dr. Harvey was referring to a <a title="About the Second Chance Promotion" href="https://secondchance.flalottery.com/secondchance/howtoplay_2012-GuyHarvey.do" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Second Chance Promotion</a> that offers players the chance to win the fishing trip of a lifetime.
The $2 GUY HARVEY® Scratch-Off game offers cash prizes of up to $30,000 and overall odds to win of one-in-4.37. Additionally, non-winning GUY HARVEY® tickets may be entered in the Guy Harvey® Sportsman’s Paradise Second Chance Promotion on the Lottery’s website.
Four drawings will be held between April 25 and June 27 with 12 winners selected in each drawing.
Grand prize winners will receive a Sportsman’s Paradise fishing trip for two to one of several fantastic fishing destinations including St. Petersburg Beach, Hawks Cay, Rum Cay in the Bahamas, or Grand Cayman Island, where one lucky winner and a guest will get the opportunity of a lifetime – to go fishing with Guy Harvey himself!
Second prize winners in the drawing will receive an original Guy Harvey® framed watercolor painting and the third prize winners will receive a $200 gift certificate to <a title="GHS web site" href="http://www.guyharveysportswear.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GuyHarveySportswear.com.</a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/new-guy-harvey-florida-lottery-scratch-off-game-debuts-today/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=New “Freedom Rising” Shirt from Guy Harvey&body=<a href="http://www.guyharveyart.com/Military_Items.html"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1324" title=""Freedom Rising Independence Day 2012" shirt by Guy Harvey" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1213_13_independenceday_shirteblast.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="875" /></a> https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/new-freedom-rising-shirt-from-guy-harvey/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=GHRI, Georgia Aquarium Partner for Stingray Census Study in Grand Cayman&body=<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/stingray-census2c-gcm-0812-0631.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1378 " title="Stingray City Census" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/stingray-census2c-gcm-0812-0631.jpg" alt="" width="495" height="329" /></a>Alex Harvey, Louisa Gibson and Dr. Brad Wetherbee secure a large ray in a pool in the cockpit of Guy’s Scout boat while Georgia Aquarium's Tonya Clauss prepares to take blood from the ray’s tail.
The <a title="GHRI web site" href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> just finished conducting the annual census of the stingray population at <a title="About Stingray City" href="http://www.caymanislands.ky/activities/attractions/stingraycity.aspx" target="_blank">Stingray City</a> in <a title="About Grand Cayman" href="http://www.caymanislands.ky/aboutcayman/grandcayman.aspx" target="_blank">Grand Cayman</a>. The GHRI team, led by <a title="Guy Harvey Inc. web site" href="http://www.guyharvey.com" target="_blank">Guy Harvey</a> and GHRI Director <a title="About Dr. Mahmood Shivji" href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/overview/faculty-staff-profiles/mahmood_shivji.html" target="_blank">Dr. Mahmood Shivji</a>, <a title="About Dr. Brad Wetherbee" href="http://www.uri.edu/cels/bio/wetherbee/p/frames.html" target="_blank">Dr. Brad Wetherbee</a> of the <a title="U. of Rhode Island web site" href="http://ww2.uri.edu/" target="_blank">University of Rhode Island</a>, <a title="U. of Edinburgh web site" href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/home" target="_blank">Edinburgh University</a> student Louisa Gibson and Guy's adult children, Jessica and Alex Harvey. Assisting the GHRI this year were three special guests from the <a title="GA web site" href="http://www.georgiaaquarium.org" target="_blank">Georgia Aquarium</a> - veterinarians Tonya Clauss, Lisa Hoopes and Nicole Boucha, who were on hand to analyze blood samples to better assess the overall health of the rays. Thanks to all who participated - updates from the census will be available soon! https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/ghri-georgia-aquarium-partner-for-stingray-census-study-in-grand-cayman/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Save Billfish by Closing Loophole&body=<img class=" size-medium wp-image-3282 alignleft" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/602.jpg?w=300" alt="602" width="300" height="222" />By Sue Cocking, Guy Harvey Outpost staff writer
scocking@guyharveyoutpost.com
Bill Shedd-- president of AFTCO Manufacturing Co., and a principal in Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts--was asked last year by Marlin magazine what would be the single most important change we could make to current management policy in 2016 to benefit billfish stocks.
His answer: for NOAA Fisheries to get on with finalizing its promised rulemaking on the Billfish Conservation Act signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2012. The law bans importation and sale of billfish (marlin, sailfish and spearfish) into the continental U.S., but still allows traditional fisheries within the Hawaiian Islands and Pacific territories. More than three years after the law was adopted, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service has yet to propose rules to implement it.
According to Shedd: "The law intended that the Hawaiian exemption allow only for traditional harvest and consumption within the islands, and that billfish should not be allowed to be shipped from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. A ruling from NOAA Fisheries is needed to close a possible loophole and prevent possible cheating of billfish caught in other parts of the world being shipped through Hawaii and labeled as caught in Hawaii."
"This clarification would not only protect billfish stocks in Hawaii, but in other parts of the world as well," Shedd added. "The U.S. has been the world's largest market for billfish. The Billfish Conservation Act was passed to prevent billfish importation into the U.S. by removing economic incentive in other countries to catch billfish and export them to the U.S. Allowing the Billfish Conservation Act to proceed as intended will have a huge positive impact on billfish stocks."
Some knowledgeable observers say the delay in implementation may have to do with tasking bureaucrats at NMFS to draft what may turn out to be trade regulations rather than fisheries regulations--not normally their purview even though the agency is under the Department of Commerce.
But of one thing Shedd and other fisheries conservationists are adamant: no billfish, whether from the U.S. or foreign countries, may be sold in the continental U.S.
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Sue Cocking chronicles the Guy Harvey Outpost travel and adventure experience in regular blog posts on GuyHarveyOutpostNews.com/. For 21 years, Cocking covered the full spectrum of outdoors adventure opportunities in South Florida and beyond for the Miami Herald, including fishing, diving, hunting, paddling camping, sailing and powerboat racing. She is a certified scuba diver and holder of an IGFA women's world fly fishing record for a 29-pound permit.
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Share your photos, videos and experiences with Guy Harvey Outpost by hash tagging #OutpostAttitude to all of your social media posts. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/save-billfish-by-closing-loophole/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=China Bans Shark Fin Soup from Official Banquets&body=<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/soup2.jpg"><img title="Shark Fin Soup" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/soup2.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="353" /></a>
Big news from Ground Zero in the battle over shark fin soup and the international shark fin trade! Chinese media is reporting that the Chinese government has banned shark fin soup from being served at all official government banquets. The ban will not be immediate, but the move is a huge victory nonetheless for the anti-shark finning movement. Here's the full story from <a title="CNN web site" href="http://www.cnn.com" target="_blank">CNN.com</a>:
Hong Kong (CNN) -- China is planning to ban shark fin soup from being served at official banquets, in a sign the country may be losing its taste for the expensive delicacy.
According to<a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/718614.shtml" target="_blank"> Chinese media</a>, the Government Office Administration of the State Council said the ban could take up to three years to implement and would help cut the cost of sometimes lavish banquets held for state functions.
The move followed a proposal made during the National People's Congress in March this year.
Bertha Lo of the campaign group<a href="http://hksharkfoundation.org/" target="_blank"> Hong Kong Shark Foundation </a>said the move could potentially reduce the amount of sharks killed given that China is the biggest consumer of shark fin products.
"I think it will have an impact," she said. "The government in China is powerful and if it takes the lead on this issue, I don't see why others shouldn't follow suit."
Between 26 million and 73 million sharks are estimated to be killed each year, according to a 2006 academic study* quoted on the website of Lo's group. Their carcasses are usually discarded and campaigners say the practice is wasteful and cruel.
The <a href="http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/whatwedo/footprint/seafood/sharkfin_initiative/shark_faq/" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a> says that 181 species of shark are under threat, up from 15 in 1996.
Shark's fin soup is widely served in restaurants in Chinese communities worldwide and is a dish often served at weddings to mark the importance of the occasion and impress the couple's extended families and friends.
But the custom has become less popular among a younger generation of diners, who are more environmentally conscious, says Lo.
Last year, the operator of the high-end Peninsula hotel chain said it would remove shark fin products from its menus and Shangri-la Hotels made a similar move this year.
In Beijing, the five-star Swissotel has also stopped serving shark fin, according to the China Daily.
Outside Asia, legislation banning shark fin has been introduced in five U.S. states including California, which this month also banned the French duck liver delicacy foie gras on the grounds of cruelty.
In China, the campaign against shark fin products has gained steam following pledges by celebrities, such as former NBA star Yao Ming, not to eat the delicacy.
* The academic study cited in this article was conducted by the <a title="GHRI web site" href="http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/" target="_blank">Guy Harvey Research Institute</a> and Dr. Shelley Clarke. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/china-bans-shark-fin-soup-from-official-banquets/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Venezuela Bans Shark Finning, Establishes Shark Sanctuary&body=<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/img_1501.jpg"><img title="Tiger shark - Photo courtesy of Steve Valetta" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/img_1501.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" /></a>
NOTE: This post was excerpted from an article by Douglas Main on <a title="OAP.com" href="http://www.ouramazingplanet.com" target="_blank">OurAmazingPlanet</a>. Click <a title="Venezuela Bans Shark Finning, Establishes Shark Sanctuary" href="http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/3072-venezuela-bans-shark-finning.html" target="_blank">here</a> to read the full article.
Some much-needed good news for sharks has come from Venezuela this week: The South American country announced it is banning shark finning in its waters and has established a new shark sanctuary.
The country became the last in the Americas to outlaw the practice of cutting off the fins of live sharks and tossing the animals back into the ocean to slowly die.
The country also has created a sanctuary where several important shark species breed, outlawing commercial shark fishing there. The sanctuary consists of 1,440 square miles (3,730 square kilometers) of the Caribbean Sea surrounding the Los Roques Archipelago, a popular tourist destination. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/venezuela-bans-shark-finning-establishes-shark-sanctuary/){kind=link}
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