Protect Local Shark Populations

Protect our Coastal Shark Population

As the summer fishing season begins, all anglers, sport and commercial, should consider the plight of declining shark populations and the effects that the heavy fishing of them is having on the ecosystem. Fewer big sharks in the oceans mean that bay scallops, oysters and other shellfish may be damaged, tying unlikely members of the marine ecosystem to the same fate. A study by Dalhousie University has found that over fishing the largest predatory sharks, such as the bull, blue, dusky, and hammerhead has led to the rapid expansion of ray, skate, and small shark prey species. Large sharks have been functionally eliminated from the east coast, no longer performing their ecosystem role as top predators. Fewer big sharks mean there are more of the fish they once ate, such as the Cownose ray.

With an average population increase of about eight percent per year, the east coast Cownose ray population may now number as many as 40 million. Cownose can grow to be more than four feet across, eat large quantities of bivalves, including bay scallops, oysters, soft-shell and hard clams in the bays and estuaries they use for habitat in the summer and spring. This increased predation by cownose rays inhibits the recovery of oysters and clams which are already damaged by overexploitation, disease, habitat destruction, and pollution. By 2004, Cownose rays had completely devastated North Carolina’s scallop population, collapsing a centuries-old fishery.
As many as 73 million sharks are killed worldwide each year for the finning trade, and the number is rising. Growing demand for shark fins and meat has led to increased fishing, but a large number are caught accidentally as "by catch" by fisherman after other types of fish. According to Carl Safina of Blue Ocean Institute, 75% of all fish are captured as by catch. The danger for Sharks (and other elasmobranches) posed by increased fishing pressure, is that they are long-lived, slow to mature, and produce few offspring. Aggressive fishing can take a toll much more quickly on sharks than other fish.

Ecologists have long held that maintaining the populations of top predators is critical for sustaining healthy oceanic ecosystems; its organisms are interconnected, and changes at one level have implications at others. An Ecosystem based view of fisheries management states the necessity of protecting species such as sharks as a primary player in the overall health of the ecosystem.

But, sharks are also a protected species. The Shark Finning Prohibition Act was signed into law on December 21, 2000. The Act prohibits people under U.S. jurisdiction from: (1) engaging in shark finning at sea; (2) possessing shark fins aboard a fishing vessel without the corresponding carcass; or (3) landing shark fins without the corresponding carcass. And according to NOAA’s Regulatory Changes in Amendment 1 to the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks, several species of pelagic and coastal sharks are protected by Time and Area Closures for commercial vessels with bottom longline gear on board from January through July off North Carolina.

A map of the closed shark areas can be found at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/images/HMS_Closed_Areas_w_Bathymetry.jpg


Yet, without increased enforcement of existing regulations, big sharks may be fished to extinction. As sportsman, waterman, and stewards of our oceans, it is our duty to protect our Living Marine Resources and report violations. To help engage the public, the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement adopted COPPS (Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving) as a national initiative, designed to empower communities and individuals to actively participate in their local marine conservation management. The NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline (1-800-853-1964) provides live operator coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone in the United States to report a federal fisheries violation.

I know it’s difficult to worry about the fate of sharks, but losing these top predators is having a devastating effect on our home waters, damaging the already fragile shell fish habitats and sea grass. This summer, a catch and release policy for sharks should be in every angler’s toolbox. Also, be on the lookout for illegal fishing activities. Sharks matter, so please report any and all violations to the NOAA COPS hotline at 1-800-853-1964.