NOAA Proposes Stringent Limits to Sandbar Shark Fishing

NOAA Fisheries Service is proposing that commercial and recreational fishing for
sandbar sharks be significantly reduced and limited to only those commercial vessels
that take part in a shark research program. This proposal is open to public comment.

“Because sandbar sharks as well as dusky sharks have been severely depleted,
we must take strong measures to stop overfishing and allow these species to rebuild,”
said Dr. William T. Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries Service. “Even with these
measures, it will take a long time to rebuild the population of these sharks because of
their unique biology.”

Sandbar and dusky sharks, like other shark species, mature late, grow slowly
and produce relatively few young. This makes them particularly vulnerable to
overexploitation. NOAA banned the fishing of dusky sharks in 2000, after stock
assessments showed severe depletion.

There are approximately 529 commercial fishing permits for shark fishing in the
Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Sandbar sharks, because of their large
fins, are the most valuable species among the large coastal sharks. The fins are
considered a delicacy and are a main ingredient in ethnic food dishes such as shark fin
soup.

The proposed amendment to the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery
Management Plan would reduce the quota for sandbar sharks by 80 percent as part of
the rebuilding plan. The measures would help NOAA Fisheries meet the Congressional
mandate of the newly reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act to end all overfishing.

NOAA Fisheries would also establish a shark research fishery of between five
and 10 vessels that could land sandbar and other sharks. The vessels would have
observers on board and meet other criteria to be part of the program. The research
would be designed to gain more information about the status, mobility, migration,
habitat, ecology, and age and growth characteristics of sandbar sharks.

Other measures in the proposed amendment are the closing of some areas to
shark fishing as recommended by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council;
establishing a limit per trip on the amount of other large coastal sharks a fishermen can
keep; requiring that fins be attached to any shark that is commercially landed; and
reducing the shark species that recreational fishermen can keep.

During the months of August and September, NOAA Fisheries Service will hold
several hearings along the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico to gather public comments
on the proposed amendment. The schedule follows:


Aug. 8, 2007: Public Library Manahawkin, NJ
Aug. 8, 2007: Panama City Laboratory, Panama City, FL
Aug. 14:  Bayou Black Recreational Area,  Houma, LA
Aug. 22: City of Madeira Beach, Madeira Beach, FL
Aug. 23: Fort Pierce Library, Fort Pierce, FL
Aug. 29: Ocean Pines Public Library, Berlin, MD
Sept. 5: University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX
Sept. 6: Islamorada Public Library, Islamorada, FL
Sept. 6: Manteo Town Hall, Manteo, NC
Sept. 17: Portsmouth Public Library, Portsmouth, NH

For more details, visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov.

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Email your waterfront & coastal news to Waterfront editor Tricia Morris at waterfront@nccoast.com.