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A tiger shark caught.
© NOAA |
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1997: Shark Quotas Are Slashed
Acknowledging the fact that Atlantic shark populations were at historically low levels because of overfishing and threats to their habitat, on April 7, 1997 the NMFS halved the overall annual commercial quotas for large coastal sharks. Anticipating an industry shift to other species, the agency also established a quota for the first time on fishing small coastal sharks. In addition, the agency:
* limited the catch of the estimated thousands of recreational fishermen to 2 sharks per vessel per trip
* entirely prohibited the harvesting of the five most threatened species--basking, whale, great white, sand tiger, and bigeye sand tiger sharks
* prohibited the filleting of sharks at sea, so that species could be identified at dockside.
The NMFS also announced other large-scale initiatives to end overfishing and rebuild stocks of large coastal sharks as rapidly as possible. These included addressing shark habitat concerns; implementing other protective measures, such as requiring catch-and-release fishing for white sharks; working with Atlantic coastal states to protect critical nursery and pupping grounds in shallow waters; and collaborating with Canada, Mexico and international organizations in exchanging shark science and catch data. Sharks are highly migratory, so this sort of cooperation is essential.
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