NOAA
PROPOSES STRINGENT LIMITS TO SANDBAR SHARK FISHING
August
1, 2007 — 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. (Click NOAA image for a larger view of
sandbar shark fighting a hook. Please credit "NOAA.")
“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:
Date |
Time |
Hearing
Location |
Hearing
Address |
Wednesday,
Aug. 8, 2007 |
6:00
- 8:50 p.m. |
Manahawkin Public Library
|
129 North Main Street, Manahawkin, NJ 08050
|
Wednesday,
Aug. 8, 2007 |
6:00
– 9:00 p.m. |
SEFSC,
Panama City Laboratory |
3500
Delwood Beach Drive, Panama City, FL 32408 |
Tuesday,
Aug. 14, 2007 |
6:00
– 9:00 p.m. |
Bayou
Black Recreational Center |
3688
Southdown Mandalay Road, Houma, LA 70360 |
Wednesday,
Aug. 22, 2007 |
6:30
– 9:30 p.m. |
City
of Madeira Beach |
300
Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, FL 33708 |
Thursday,
Aug. 23, 2007 |
5:30
– 8:30 p.m. |
Fort
Pierce Library |
101
Melody Lane, Fort Pierce, FL 34950 |
Wednesday,
Aug. 29, 2007 |
6:00
– 9:00 p.m. |
Ocean
Pines Public Library |
11107
Cathell Road, Berlin, MD 21811 |
Wednesday,
Sept. 5, 2007 |
6:00
– 9:00 p.m. |
University
of Texas, Marine Science Institute |
Visitor’s
Center, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373 |
Thursday,
Sept. 6, 2007 |
5:00
– 8:00 p.m. |
Islamorada
Public Library |
81500 Overseas Highway, Islamorada, FL 33036
|
Monday,
Sept. 10, 2007 |
6:00
– 9:00 p.m. |
Manteo
Town Hall |
407
Budleigh Street, Manteo, NC 27954 |
Monday,
Sept. 17 |
5:30
- 8:30 p.m. |
Portsmouth
Public Library |
175
Parrott Avenue,
Portsmouth, NH |
NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our
nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific
research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries Service provides
effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation,
supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to
provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities
for the American public.
NOAA
is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through
the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and
information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental
stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the
emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),
NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and
the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that
is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
(Click NOAA image for a larger view of
sandbar shark. Click here for
high resolution version. Please credit "NOAA.")
Relevant
Web Sites
NOAA
NOAA Fisheries
Media
Contact:
Monica Allen, NOAA
Fisheries, (301) 713-2370
|