Rising to the Challenge in 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 09:27AM 
Mote Center for Shark Research team prepares to satellite tag a bull shark in Boca Grande Pass - June 2012.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
North Port, FL - January 31, 2013
CONTACT:
Sean Paxton & Brooks Paxton II
PaxtonBrothers@ThinkOutLoudProductions.com
941-416-1788
941-416-5073
Plans Announced for 2013 Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge
Sean and Brooks Paxton, the event’s creators and producers have confirmed that plans are underway to extend the USC’s mission of sport, science and conservation. The brothers say, “We’re proud to see how our collaborative efforts with this event have evolved, especially in light of some exciting new research and distance learning initiatives we’re involved with this year. We prioritize our professional efforts to support science and education so this is a great opportunity to continue that important work with Mote Marine Laboratory and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.”
According to Dr. Bob Hueter, Director of Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research, “Our plan right now is to work with anglers including those who have fished past USC tournaments to help us catch, tag and release sharks in Boca Grande Pass and surrounding areas for our new studies on the sharks there and the surrounding waters of Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico. Anglers will help us tag sharks over the course of the spring and summer seasons and will report recaptures and resightings to the Mote CSR. A select group of anglers will also work with us to catch sharks for satellite, acoustic tagging, and other advanced methods to study shark behavior during tarpon season in the Pass. Tagging helps us determine residency time, migratory patterns, and growth of the sharks. Our work will also focus on shark-tarpon interactions so we will be collaborating with other scientists who are experts in tarpon behavior and ecology. In those studies we also will also be engaging the local sport fishing community.”
To accommodate these developing plans, the two-day Ultimate Shark Challenge tournament and public festival, familiar to many, will not be held this year. However, the Paxton Brothers are working with their partners to create angler incentive and reward programs and interactive involvement of the public through innovative new educational outreach programs. They are also continuing their strategic alliance with the Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce and the World's Richest Tarpon Tournament to maximze their mission-similar objectives in the responsible use and enjoyment of our shared coastal and marine resources.
For updates and further details, stay tuned to
UltimateSharkChallenge.com
Also:
Mote.org & ThinkOutLoudProductions.com
