NOAA Fisheries proposes to amend regulations governing Atlantic shark fisheries. The intent of these actions is to rebuild overfished shark species and prevent overfishing on Atlantic sharks, based on results of the 2002 small coastal shark and large coastal shark stock assessments. These proposed changes would affect recreational and commercial fisheries in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean.

The proposed rule would amend the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan to: revise the large coastal shark rebuilding plan; outline a procedure to prevent overfishing of finetooth sharks; revise commercial quota levels; eliminate a commercial minimum size; revise recreational retention and size limits; establish handline and rod and reel as the only authorized gears in the recreational shark fishery; allow strikenet gear only in the shark gillnet fishery; implement a time/area closure for bottom longline fishing in the mid-Atlantic region from January through July to protect sandbar and dusky shark nursery and pupping areas; and require vessel monitoring systems on shark bottom longline and gillnet vessels to enforce time/area closures, among others.

Written comments on the Proposed Rule must be received by 5 p.m. on September 30, 2003. For a complete listing of proposed changes to shark regulations and for public hearing dates and locations, visit NOAA Fisheries’ Highly Migratory Species Web site. For further information, contact Karyl Brewster-Geisz, Heather Stirratt, or Chris Rilling at (301) 713-2347 or Greg Fairclough at (727) 570-5447.