Please click HERE to our newly updated 2016 client photo gallery on our website now! 

The Shark Fin Ban That Should Be Banned
Article Courtesy: www.hakaimagazine.com | By: Alex Riley | Originally Published: September 21, 2016

Why eliminating the shark fin trade in the United States is bad for sharks and legitimate fishers.

In the five seconds it takes to read this sentence, an estimated 16 sharks around the world have been killed. If you read on to the end of the article, that number will have risen to about 770.

Every year, fishers haul up to 73 million sharks onto boats across the world’s oceans and trim their fins. In many cases, the rest of the body is thrown overboard to swim without propulsion. And without propulsion, no life-giving water flows over the sharks’ gills. They drown.

This is shark finning, a cruel practice that feeds the demand for the Chinese delicacy of shark fin or fish wing soup. From boat to bowl, it is tasteless.

To curb the death toll, the US Congress plans to introduce the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016. The bill was originally outlined to Congress by the advocacy organization Oceana* as part of a growing movement to outlaw all shark fins across the US. If passed, to sell or possess shark fins would be a punishable offense. It’s the ultimate protection from being made into soup.

Strange, then, that people who dedicate their lives to protecting sharks are vehemently opposed to the bill.

Above: For many species, shark fishing is a legal activity. Photo by Michael Matthews/Alamy Stock Photo
Please click HERE to read more on the shark fin ban that should be banned on our website now! 

In Memoriam Dr. James J. O’Brien 1935-2016
Article Courtesy: FSU Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies |Originally Published: September 22, 2016We are tremendously saddened to inform the community that Dr. James O’Brien,Professor Emeritus of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at Florida State University and the founder of COAPS, passed away on September 20. Our memory of him remains as someone who was exuberant, approachable, and deeply committed to the mentorship of young scholars.

Dr. O’Brien received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in 1957, after which he served as a weather officer in the U.S. Air Force. He then entered Texas A&M University at College Station to earn his master’s degree and Ph.D. in meteorology, and completed his post-doctoral work at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He began his tenure at Florida State in 1969, becoming a full-tenured professor in 1972. Dr. O’Brien was a fixture at Florida State for more than 40 years, during which time he established COAPS as a center of excellence performing interdisciplinary research in ocean-atmosphere-land-ice interactions to increase understanding of the physical, social, and economic consequences of climate variability.

Throughout the course of his career, Dr. O’Brien taught, performed research, and served on numerous boards and honorary societies. During his tenure at Florida State, he mentored 45 Ph.D. students and 66 master’s students. He also supervised more than 25 post-doctoral assistants. He considered his role as a mentor one of his proudest accomplishments, and many of his students and postdocs have gone on to make their own stellar contributions to their scientific fields.

Please click HERE to read more on the passing of Dr. James O’Brien on our website now! 

Frank Johnson, Fishing Lure Innovator, Dies at 77
Article Courtesy: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ | By: Steve Waters | Originally Published: September 26, 2016

Frank Johnson revolutionized big game fishing with his Mold Craft Soft Head lures.

A gifted innovator, he built a pneumatic injection molding machine that made soft plastic trolling lures that marlin would bite and hold on to.

Over the next 40 years, his small Pompano Beach company produced lures that caught fish around the world and set more than 200 IGFA world records, including the all-tackle Atlantic blue marlin record of 1,402 pounds that was caught in Brazil.

Johnson, of Lighthouse Point, died at the age of 77 Monday morning after a long illness. He and his son Frank Johnson III expanded the business over the years and produced numerous other innovations, including lures, plastic rod butts and shooting targets.

“Frank was a huge legend in the fishing world, no doubt,” said George Poveromo of Parkland, who is the host of “George Poveromo’s World of Salt Water Fishing” on NBC Sports. “When it came to making sure to put products on the market that caught fish, he was relentless.”

Johnson’s charitable efforts were also legendary. He was a big supporter of artificial reefs and the Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo, which helped fund numerous ship sinkings.

Above: Frank Johnson, left, and his son Frank Johnson III with their Mold Craft Soft Head lures. (Sun Sentinel file).
Please click HERE to read more on the passing of Frank Johnson on our website now! 

Letter to the Editor: Quest to have Frank Johnson, Sr. Nominated to the IGFA Hall of Fame

I wanted to reach out one more time to all our supporters and anyone that Frank Johnson, Sr. has impacted throughout the fishing industry again for their support in writing a brief comment, email, story, or letter of their own that may help in our quest to have him nominated to the IGFA Hall of Fame.

The following is a letter that I have composed in an effort to have my father Frank Johnson Senior inducted into the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame with their next cycle of nominations. I would like to invite you and everyone else in the fishing industry to compose a letter of your own addressed to Rob Kramer the president of the IGFA to assist me in this end. Please feel free to include a story of your own. I’m sure there are many colorful ones that I have not heard. Anyone who knows my father is keenly aware of his far-reaching, long-term contributions and participation in the fishing industry and will agree that he is a worthy candidate.

Your participation is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Frank W Johnson III
Please click HERE to read more on the quest to nominate Frank Johnson, Sr. to the IGFA Hall of Fame on our website now! 

Backlash? Feedback?