S h a r k s   a n d   R a y s

Recently our family took a much needed time out from our heavy schedules and headed for our favorite surf fishing spot in Southern Florida. We can hardly wait to get our lines wet and see who can land the first fish. Just about all our fish are released back in the ocean unharmed. This time we released many sharks since that seemed to be all there was in the surf at that time. All the local residents there appeared not to notice or care about all the shark activity and continued their swimming and surf boarding. They told us that once in a while someone gets bitten and they attribute that to the fact that people riding the waves on a surf board or body surfing looks like seals or sea turtles which is their natural food source. One of the sharks we caught had been tagged with a plastic strip in his top fin with numbers. We found out , after we called the Sharks Research Center, that this shark had been tagged somewhere up in North Carolina. What a trip!

Sharks are very sleek, and designed for fast movements in the waves and heavy surf, and are almost solid muscle. I can attribute one trip to the E.R. with a dislocated elbow after trying to pull one from the surf by the tail, the other end was connected to the fishing line. I learned my lesson that sharks can be bad at either end.

Many sharks and rays travel all the oceans of the world and function as another one of nature's clean-up committee. The largest shark, the 60 ft. whale shark, and the monstrous Manta Ray are very docile and many scuba divers ride on their backs for fun, but I wouldn't advise it. The largest shark and ray eat a diet of one celled plankton except for the small shrimp like Krill that they sift from the sea water.

Its bad to think that as the earth's population increases so will the pollution to the oceans and many of these beautiful creatures of the deep will disappear as have so many land creatures. Let us help nature as much as we can and give back more than we take. After all, God gave us the creatures to enjoy showing us his love and giving us a glimpse of what heaven will be like.

Burney Tompkins

    - Uncle Burney