| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Redfish
Posts: 392
 
Location: Tampa Bay | Conservation measures in place to save sharks
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD-TRIBUNE
Published Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 6:58 a.m.
The National Marine Fisheries Service implemented conservation measures for depleted coastal sharks in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
Stock assessments conducted in 2006 revealed sandbar, porbeagle and dusky shark populations have been severely overfished, and rebuilding timeframes are projected at 66, 100 and 400 years, respectively.
Thanks to numerous comments filed last winter by conservation and fishing groups, including NCMC and its members, a tough program to protect and restore these species is now in place.
Sandbar sharks are a popular target for commercial fisheries because their dorsal fins command high prices in the shark-fin trade. Dusky sharks, which have been a prohibited species since 1998, are often caught as bycatch on bottom longlines set for sandbars, negating rebuilding efforts.
The new regulations, known as Amendment 2 to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan, will impose an 80 percent cut in the commercial quota for sandbar sharks and all sandbar must be landed as part of a research program limited to 5-10 vessels carrying observers at all times.
Porbeagle catch has also been cut to a fraction of previous levels, with the majority of the quota allocated to the recreational fishery.
The cuts in allowable shark landings would mean little if these regulations could not be properly enforced.
For this reason, the most significant change in Amendment 2 is a new requirement that all sharks be landed with fins naturally attached. The fins-on measure will facilitate identification of sharks at the dock and dealer, improve data collection and stock assessments, and will greatly aid authorities in enforcing the U.S. ban on shark finning.
Previous rules permitted fins to be removed from the carcass before landing as long as they fit a fins-to-carcass ratio that was imprecise and open to abuse.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080629/SPORTS/806290706/1023/sports08
-----
Tampa Bay Fishing Media RSS Feeds: Recent Articles | Upcoming Events | Recent Threads | |
|
Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [20 messages per page] | |
|
| ©2007 S & J Enterprises Inc. |
|
Shark Conservation Measures - SHT
