Over-Fishing Threatening Sandbar Sharks, NOAA Says

August 1, 2007

Release from: David Benson
Press of Atlantic City

Fishermen trying to meet the demand for a soup delicacy are depleting U.S. oceans of sandbar sharks, a federal agency said recently. Strict regulations banning most of the fishing are required to save the species, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The NOAA Fisheries Service last week proposed that commercial and recreational fishing for sandbar sharks be limited to only those commercial vessels that take part in a shark research program.

“Because sandbar sharks as well as dusky sharks have been severely depleted, we must take strong measures to stop over-fishing and allow these species to rebuild,” Bill Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries Service, said in a press release. “Even with these measures, it will take a long time to rebuild the population of these sharks because of their unique biology.”

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, sandbar sharks, also known as brown sharks, grow slowly, mature late and produce few young. This makes them vulnerable to over-fishing.

Sandbar sharks have large fins and are considered one of the most valuable species of coastal sharks. The fins are a main ingredient in dishes such as shark fin soup. Currently, there are 529 commercial fishing permits for shark fishing in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

The proposed amendment would cut the quota for sandbar sharks by 80 percent. Other measures in the amendment close some areas to shark fishing, establish a limit per trip on the number of other large coastal sharks a fisherman can keep, and require that fins be attached to any shark that is commercially landed.

NOAA Fisheries also plans to establish a shark research fishery of about 10 vessels that could land sandbar and other sharks.

The public is invited to comment.