Sharks: New regulations proposed

Florida seeking to save its sharks Capt. Derrick Jacobsen, a Port Charlotte resident and owner of Florida Light Tackle Charters, remembers when, in the late 1980s, commercial shark fishing suddenly became popular.The jump in interest was traced to Asian markets, where shark fins are popular delicacies, according to Jacobsen and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Lee Schlesinger.During that time period, shark fins garnered $10 to $15 a pound, while the rest of the shark could be sold for 80 cents per pound, Jacobsen said.Jacobsen, 39, was among the commercial fishermen who started hunting for sharks. Unlike some, however, he and his family didn't just hack the fins off the sharks they caught and then throw them back into the water."We believed in selling the whole shark," said Jacobsen, a fourth-generation fisherman and guide.Protecting speciesBack then, Florida took the lead in protecting sharks from overfishing. Now the FWC is considering even more regulations designed to keep the shark population healthy.The proposed regulations would prohibit the harvesting of sandbar, silky and Caribbean sharpnose sharks from state waters. The FWC also is considering a 54-inch fork length minimum size limit for all sharks, excluding the Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, bonnethead, finetooth and blacktip sharks and smooth dogfish. The proposed protections also call for limiting all shark catches to hook and lines, as well as using only circle hooks, rather than traditional J-shaped hooks. The circle hooks lessen the chances a fish will be gut-hooked.Wildlife staff will meet with anglers and other stakeholders to discuss other regulation options. Commissioners are scheduled to hold a final hearing about the new restrictions at their meeting in Clewiston Dec. 9 and 10.The fact the state is considering new regulations to protect sharks shouldn't be surprising, since Florida long has been a leader among Atlantic Coast states in enacting them. In 1992, for example, Florida wildlife officials recognized the pressure placed on shark species due to the growing market value of shark fins and popularity of shark fin soup, Schlesinger said. The 1992 restrictions called for a daily limit of one fish per person and a two-fish-per-vessel daily bag limit for all recreational and commercial harvesters. The state also established a prohibition on catching two dozen overfished or rare shark species.The state enacted those protections even though commercial shark fishing, Schlesinger said, was never a large industry in Florida, compared to other states.The federal government also has started moving to protect sharks. Since 2000, for example, a federal law prohibits "finning," or cutting fins off sharks and throwing them back into the water. That practice was a direct response to the Asian desire for fins, which were prepared by stringing them together on a rope to sun dry until they had the consistency of potato chips.Slow to reboundThose protections almost came too late. According to U.S. National Marine Fisheries statistics, in the early 1980s, commercial and recreational anglers harvested 400,000 to 600,000 large coastal shark species annually. But in 1988 and 1989, more than 20 million sharks were caught -- more than 10 million in each of those two years. Since the early 1990s, with the federal government and states instituting protections, the number of sharks caught has dropped. In 2001, the federal fisheries reported 282,000 shark catches.Florida Marine Institute researcher Brent Winner said 50 of the more than 350 shark species worldwide swim in Florida's offshore and coastal waters. The bull shark, common to Charlotte Harbor waters, he said, is the only species that can cross the "salt-freshwater barrier" and has been reported up the Mississippi River as far as St. Louis.Generally, Winner said, shark species are slow to reach sexual maturity; some of the larger coastal species take up to 10 or 15 years to mature.Sharks may give birth to as few as two pups, he said. The gestation period averages nine to 12 months, but the spiny dogfish takes 24 months to give birth. Many shark species average between six to eight pups per reproduction cycle. However, hammerheads and tiger sharks can give birth to large broods, as many as 50 or more pups, Winner said. Sharks also often skip reproduction cycles."With some species, decreases (in populations) will take decades to rebound," Winner said.The new regulations, if enacted, won't have much of an effect locally because commercial shark fishing was never a big industry in Charlotte County and its waters."We'd bring home six to 10 sharks (a week)," Jacobsen said, recalling how one day might be devoted to fishing short lines for sharks. "And there were only 5,000 licensed commercial fishermen in the entire state."Local recreational shark fishing, especially for hammerheads and other large species, doesn't compare to other areas, Jacobsen said. Out of 250 to 300 charters, he might have 10 anglers seeking to fish for sharks specifically. And those anglers who don't mind catching a few sharks prefer catching 2- to 4-foot blacktip and other sharks, rather than monster hammerheads or bull sharks. The majority of sharks are released back into the water.Boca Grande Pass offers premier tarpon fishing, but it is also a haven for large sharks that follow tarpon schools. In 2006, Bucky Dennis caught a world-record female hammerhead shark, more than 14 feet long and weighing more than 1,000 pounds. According to Sun reports, the shark was pregnant with 55 pups."It's a two-edge sword," said Capt. Mark Futch, secretary for the Boca Grande Fishing Guide Association. With light-tackle tarpon tournaments, the battle between man and fish takes longer than when heavier tackle is used. The tarpon end up exhausted, which makes them appealing prey for larger sharks. Futch said, "It's been wreaking devastation (on tarpon fishing)."But when it comes to conservation, Futch said the guide association supports preservation of the resources, including sharks.Futch could recall a Venice fishing club that traditionally came to Boca Grande years ago specifically to fish for sharks.Despite that, he said, shark fishing has never gained the popularity it has seen elsewhere. Most recreational anglers prefer to hook tarpon, snook, redfish, speckled sea trout and other fish species.sun herald