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Shark Management Actions

Sharks have been strictly regulated in Florida since 1992 with a 1-fish-per-person/2-fish-per-vessel daily bag limit for all recreational and commercial harvesters, a prohibition on nearly two dozen overfished or rare shark species, and a ban on the cruel and wasteful practice of harvesting only shark fins - called finning.

Today, sharks are managed by multiple agencies along the Atlantic Coast. Individual states manage sharks in their waters from shore to three miles offshore; however, their management is coordinated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) through an Interstate Fishery Management Plan. NOAA Fisheries, Division of Highly Migratory Species (HMS), regulates Atlantic sharks from three to 200 miles offshore (Map [129KB]). In the Gulf of Mexico the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) manages sharks from shore to nine miles offshore and HMS manages offshore of nine miles.

In August 2008, the ASMFC completed an Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks . The newly-created plan lays out management measures that states are required to adopt. States may enact alternative measures only if they are approved by the ASMFC as conservation equivalency measures. This plan was created because it is believed that coordinated state management is a vital step towards establishing healthy, self-sustaining populations of Atlantic coastal sharks. In developing the plan the ASMFC held public meetings and workshops along their jurisdictional waters (one public workshop was held in Cocoa, FL in February of 2008).

The ASMFC plan includes many recreational and commercial measures to be implemented by states along the entire Atlantic coast; however, not all of these measures apply to Florida waters. The FWC is addressing five measures within the plan to become compliant.

Prohibited species - add sandbar, silky, and Caribbean sharpnose sharks to the prohibited list.
Landing requirements - prohibit recreational harvesters from removing the heads of sharks while at sea.
Minimum size limits - establish a minimum fork length of 54 inches for all sharks except Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, bonnethead, and finetooth, as well as smooth dogfish.
Allowable gear - make hook and line the only allowable gear for harvesting sharks.
Commercial updates - change season dates, require wholesale dealers to have a federal permit, and close state waters to commercial harvest when ASMFC or NOAA Fisheries closes adjacent waters.

Florida held five public meetings in June 2009 to gather public comments regarding the ASMFC’s plan and shark management in general. In September, the FWC proposed a draft rule that would address additional prohibited species, landing requirements, minimum size limits, allowable gear and commercial updates (link to agenda document). These proposed shark rule amendments would apply statewide. A final public hearing on the proposed rules will take place at the December FWC meeting (press release ).

Additionally, the FWC is holding two public workshops in October to gather comments regarding a proposal to prohibit the harvest of lemon sharks in state waters of Florida. The proposal and results of these workshops will be presented at the December FWC meeting.