SOUTHWEST. TEMPERATURES, 94 BY TUESDAY. AFTERNOON STORMS BREWING
STARTING ON SUNDAY, EDEN?
>> LUKE, THANK YOU.
A STORM OF CONTROVERSY BREWING
OVER PALM BEACH COUNTY THIS
WEEKEND AS A SHARK FISHING
TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN ORGANIZED
BY LOCAL FISHERMEN SPARKING
OUTRAGE BY WILD LIFE
ACTIVISTS.
>> A HEALTHY OCEAN NEEDS A
HEALTHY SHARK POPULATION.
GLOBALLY, SHARKS ARE BEING
DECIMATED WITH UPWARDS OF 70
MILLION KILLED EVERY YEAR.
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE
LOUIS AGUIRRE HAS THE FIGHT
OVER SAVING THE SHARK.
IT’S OUR DON’T TRASH OUR
TREASURE TONIGHT.
>> 14-YEAR-OLD CADE LOVES
SHARKS.
>> UNFORTUNATELY, NOT TOO MANY
PEOPLE OUT THERE ARE WILLING
TO HELP SAVE THESE ANIMALS.
>> AT JUST 9 YEARS OLD, AFTER
GOING ON HIS FIRST DIVE WITH
THE OCEAN’S APEX PREDATOR, HE
BECAME AN ACTIVIST, DETERMINED
TO PROTECT THE PLANET’S
RAPIDLY DWINDLING SHARK
POPULATION, USING SOCIAL MEDIA
TO SOUND THE ALARM.
>> YOU TAKE SHARKS OUT, THE
ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM COLLAPSES.
>> NOW HIS MISSION, URGENTLY
LEAPING OFF HIS INSTAGRAM TO
THE FRONT LINES OF A VERY REAL
FIGHT BETWEEN CONSERVATIONISTS
AND SOME FLORIDA FISHERMEN WHO
CLAIM THE ATLANTIC WATERS OF
PALM BEACH COUNTY HAVE BECOME
WAY TOO SHARKY.
>> THERE’S A VERY LARGE
POPULATION OF SHARKS THAT WE
HAVE RIGHT NOW OUTSIDE OF OUR
COAST.
I WOULD CALL IT AN
ABNORMALITY.
>> JASON IS THE ORGANIZER OF
THIS SATURDAY’S SHARK
TOURNAMENT WITH ANGLERS FROM
JUPITER AND PALM BEACH VYING
FOR CASH PRIZES FOR THOSE WHO
CATCH THE BIGGEST SHARKS.
>> THE GOAL IS TO BASICALLY
SHOW THE GOVERNMENT THE NUMBER
OF SHARKS THAT WE HAVE OUT
HERE.
>> SOMEBODY’S REELING IN A
SAIL FISH AND THERE’S 4-5 BULL
SHARKS CHASING THE ONE SAIL
FISH.
>> THEY CLAIM THERE IS NO
SCIENTIFIC DATA TO SHOW A BOOM
IN FLORIDA’S SHARK POPULATION.
>> ARE THERE THAT MANY SHARKS
IN THE WATER?
>> NOT REALLY.
WHEN WE GO DO THE SHARK DIVING
ON OUR BOATS, WE ONLY SEE
ABOUT 6 OR 7 SHARKS.
THAT’S IT.
>> REESE IS THE OWNER OF
CALYPSO DIVE CHARTERS WITH
CLIENTS WHO COME IN FROM ALL
OVER THE WORLD FOR A CAGE FREE
SHARK DIVE EXPERIENCE.
HE SAYS THE PROBLEM ISN’T MORE
SHARKS IN THE OCEAN, IT’S MORE
BOATS.
>> ON ANY GIVEN DAY, YOU WILL
HAVE OVER 50 BOATS FISHING IN
THE AREA.
>> SINCE COVID, FWC REPORTS 1
MILLION RECREATIONAL BOATS ARE
NOW REGISTERED IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA.
AND WITH MORE PEOPLE FISHING
THESE WATERS, THEY NATURALLY
ATTRACT MORE SHARKS.
>> THE REASON IT’S MORE
PRONOUNCED RIGHT NOW IS
BECAUSE WE HAVE LESS FISH.
>> JIM ABERNATHY HAS SPENT 24
YEARS ESSENTIALLY LIVING WITH
SHARKS.
ABERNATHY SAYS DON’T BLAME THE
SHARKS, THEY’RE THE ONES
KEEPING OUR OCEANS HEALTHY AND
BALANCED.
>> FISH POPULATIONS ARE
COLLAPSING ALL OVER THE WORLD
BECAUSE OF OUR CONSUMPTIVE
HABITS.
>> COULD THE IMBALANCE BE THAT
THERE ARE ALSO LESS FISH OUT
THERE?
>> IT COULD BE.
BUT AGAIN, THERE COULD BE A
PLETHORA OF BAIT OUT THERE.
THERE COULD BE A PLETHORA OF
THINGS FOR THEM TO EAT BUT
THEY’RE GONNA GO AFTER THE ONE
THAT’S STRUGGLING.
>> SURE THAT, THAT’S WHAT
THEY’RE PROGRAMMED TO DO.
>> SINCE MANY SPECIES OF
SHARKS ARE PROTECTED IN
FLORIDA WATERS, THE TOURNAMENT
IS ONLY GOING AFTER BULL
SHARKS.
OTHER SPECIES WILL BE RELEASED
AND TAGGED SO THE DATA CAN BE
SHARED WITH SCIENTISTS
TRACKING THE ATLANTIC SHARK
POPULATION.
>> THE QUESTION IS, WHY DO WE
HAVE TO KILL THE SHARKS?
>> THE PURPOSE IS NOT TO THIN
THE HERD.
>> ACTIVISTS SAY THAT’S A
HANDFUL TOO MANY.
THIS IS NOT THE ONLY SHARK
FISHING TOURNAMENT HAPPENING
UP AND DOWN THE ATLANTIC COAST
AND THE GULF THIS SUMMER.
>> WE’RE TALKING MULTIMILLIONS
OF DOLLARS.
>> FILMMAKER ELI ROTH EXPOSED
THE GLOBAL SHARK SLAUGHTER IN
HIS DOCUMENTARY FIN.
AND WITH 11,000 SHARKS BEING
KILLED AROUND THE WORLD EVERY
HOUR, ROTH SAYS THESE
TOURNAMENTS NEED TO STOP.
>> ALL THE EVIDENCE IN THE
WORLD THAT THE SHARK
POPULATIONS ARE DOWN BY 90%,
10% OF WHAT WE HAD 20 YEARS
AGO.
SO YOU DO THE MATH, THE SHARKS
REALLY DON’T STAND A CHANCE IF
WE CONTINUE THIS PRACTICE.
>> AND FOR CADE, THAT’S SIMPLY
NOT AN OPTION.
>> TO KNOW THAT THESE
FISHERMEN ARE COMING TO KILL
THESE SHARKS, MY SHARKS THAT
I’VE BEEN DIVING WITH FOR SIX
YEARS MAKES ME REALLY UPSET.
>>
>> BOTTOM LINE, WE DON’T KNOW
WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE.
SHARK FISHING IS LEGAL IN
FLORIDA PROVIDED YOU PLAY BY
THE RULES AND ONLY HARVEST
APPROVED SHARKS, 1 PER
FISHERMEN, 2 PER BOAT.
FWC SAYS IT’S MONITORING THE
TOURNAMENT TO MAKE SURE NO
LAWS ARE BROKEN.
SHARK ACTIVISTS WILL BE OUT
THERE TOO, SO WILL OUR CREW.
LET’S GET TO THE QR CODE AND
TELL YOU HOW TO LEARN MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS
TOURNAMENT.
SCAN THAT QR CODE THERE AND
GET MORE INFO ON THE
TOURNAMENT AND FIND OUT HOW TO
SIGN THE PETITION TO TRY AND
STOP IT.
IT WILL TAKE YOU RIGHT TO THE
DON’T TRASH OUR TREASURE
SECTION ON Local10.com.
>> THAT WAS INCREDIBLE VIDEO.
I MEAN, JUST HEART WRENCHING
TO SEE.
>> IT REALLY IS.
THE OCEAN CAN’T REALLY SURVIVE
WITHOUT A HEALTHY SHARK