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Coastal waters of Florida.
© AMNH |
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Protecting coastal waters is particularly important. Most Atlantic sharks give birth in coastal bays and estuaries and depend on them to provide food and protection for their pups. The majority of recreational shark fishing takes place in these nursery grounds, and the majority of sharks taken by anglers are juveniles.
Shark fisheries vary widely from state to state. Commercial shark fishing is bigger business in Florida than any other state, with sharks accounting for almost half of the total catch. Florida also hosts the largest recreational shark fishery. Second comes North Carolina, then Louisiana, then New Jersey. The New England states catch relatively few large sharks but are primarily responsible for the severe depletion of the small spiny dogfish shark. New England fishers have turned to dogfish in record numbers since 1990 as an alternative to ever-scarcer groundfish populations.
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