Question about bull sharks

[rynosaurus]

Hi guys

It seems every second trip out lately (in the pine river) that i pull up a (what looks like) bull shark ranging between 70cm to 100cm. I ate the first one and tasted really good however i have a couple of questions with regards to them.

1. Im not particularly sure how often i should eat them as im not real keen on mercury buildup. would this happen? if so how often could i eat it?
(why im not keen is that i have had cigutera recently - 9 months ago - and i know how that felt and getting xick to mercury though totally different im sure wont be fun)

2. i have released (flame suit) the last few because i havent felt like cutting them up to eat and not sure what to do with them if i killed it? If i were to kill it what should i do with it? take it home and bin it? Bait for fish/muddies? chuck it back over?

3. Shark dongers - When and how do people use them? (i understand that you hit them on the head with it lol) ie do you get it into the boat and then hit it?

Thanks
ryan

[Scott nthQld]

dunno about mercury build up, but I'm pretty sure it only becomes a real risk in the larger models.

I'f you don't want it release it. These bullies play an important part in the eco system and food chain. Don't just kil them for no reason other than to kill them. Couldn't imagine them being any good for crab bait

Be aware that any and all sharks must be released if over the 1.5m max length.

Suppose it depends on how big and green the shark is, if you've worn it out bring it aboard and give it a good whack (if you want to keep it that is), if not best to just cut the line and let them go, the hook will come out eventually and you don't put your hands anywhere near the dangerous end

[Camhawk88]

As Scott said, these little fellas havent been around long enough to build up any significan amounts of mercury, although if you ate them every day of your life you may get a bit of a build up. From what i know mercury poisoning is far more enjoyable than Cig. sends you a bit loopy apparently- cheap drugs.

I dont bother with sharks myself as we are spoilt up here but if I bring one aboard it gets a good dose of the welcome aboard stick before it comes over the gunnels, they are very strong so dont take chances. cutting the line is the best thing if they arent going on the dinner table.

[oldboot]

The whole mercury poisoning thing is probaly a bit understood and over stated.

Mercury does not get absorbed thru the digestive system all that well, in fact there are some who still take mercury as a digestive supliment...it is most dangerous when inhaled, and somewhat less dangerous when absorbed thru the skin.

The mercury seafood caution mostly related to slow growing sea going spicies like sordfish, very large tuna, mackrel and the like, and in particular pregnant women and very young children.

Even then the word is that consumption should be limited to one or two portions a week.

Consider that small legal to keep model ( under 1.5 meters) is probaly a year or two old.......those sort of concerns are not great.

Contamination of the water from other sources would be more of an issue.....but that will apply to anything you eat from the river in question.

cheers

[oldboot]

As for donging it.

Ask yourself this question.......Do I have the room in the boat to deal with this critter while it is still fully compus and in controll of its teeth?

Lots of people pull the head of whatver it is over the gunwal and have at it there......if things dont go as planned you can simply drop it over the side and the teeth are gone...and the gunwal gives a good firm support.

As far as where to hit it...the vast majorities of animals have their brain just behind the eyes.

As for how to hit it......um..... like you want to kill it.
If you are going to kill something best to do a proper job..hit it hard and often.

cheers

[rynosaurus]

cool, thanks guys for the feedback
awesome to know about the mercury - looks like i might eat it a little more regulrly than every 6 months
good point about releasing and being part of the ecosystem - its just that when i tell people that i caught a shark they say 'oh did you kill it' as if its the most evil thing in the world (dont get me wrong i dont want to be on the wrong side of a big one but the small ones seem tolerable) i usually tell them that i did to shut them up cause i reckon id be a real mess if i said i had released it
anyways cheers

btw they are fun on 8lb braid with my stradic

(oh and yeah cigutera is pretty much the worst thing you can have)

cheers
ryan

[GB61]

if you remove the fins ,head and guts from the body of the shark as soon as you catch ,and kill it, you can stop it getting that ammonia taste in the flesh. This also works with shovelnose shark . They taste pretty good after preparing them this way .If you don`t want to eat it just release it . Sharks are just another fish.

[Gazza]

just be sure to try to "kiss it first"
IF it resists , dong it bigtime

[Flash the toad feeder]

Slightly OT but worth mentioning:- don't ever bring a mako on board.
They're even more dangerous when they're dead.

[thylacene]

Haven't got a Bull yet, but assuming that the general layout is the same as most sharks, we usually bring it alongside and gaff it, tail rope to the side rail, and then cut deep across the back at the rear of the head to bleed it out, haven't lost one to a bigger one yet, but the day may come. Bleeding helps clean up the fillets and gets rid of the ammonia. Haven't got one in the new boat (no pod) as we used to tie them across the transom for the trip home. Not keen on having them in the boat. Recent news article about a Mako, bought into the boat green, decided to have a munch on the skippers calf muscle on the way back into Narooma. I'd prefer not to make the papers.

[TheRealAndy]

The whole mercury poisoning thing is probaly a bit understood and over stated.

Mercury does not get absorbed thru the digestive system all that well, in fact there are some who still take mercury as a digestive supliment...it is most dangerous when inhaled, and somewhat less dangerous when absorbed thru the skin.

The mercury seafood caution mostly related to slow growing sea going spicies like sordfish, very large tuna, mackrel and the like, and in particular pregnant women and very young children.

Even then the word is that consumption should be limited to one or two portions a week.

Consider that small legal to keep model ( under 1.5 meters) is probaly a year or two old.......those sort of concerns are not great.

Contamination of the water from other sources would be more of an issue.....but that will apply to anything you eat from the river in question.

cheers

Back in my early days of my apprencticeship, we used to use mercury manometers for calibrating pressure transducer water water level sensors. Of course now and then you would eject some mercury out of the top of the manometer when you used to much air pressure. I was always told that the organic compounds were the bad part of mercury. So dont underestimate the danger of mercury, especially in fish where they form organic compounds. IF you think its not dangerous, do some research on minimata disease.

[randell]

An old story...................
An architure student graduated on the Gold Coast, someone gave him a off shore fishing trip as a present.....
He caught a bullshark 20km offshore, he tried to get the hook out of it's mouth and it took off his thumb, 90%. They wrapped his hand and thumb in a teashirt and headed for he seaway..............
Microsurgery at Gold Coast Hospital.............

Maybe it's don't try to take a hook out, just cut the line , don't use ss hooks.

be carefull
randell