Shark interactions while fishing the focus of FWC discussion
Special to Gannett
At its May meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) hosted a roundtable discussion focused on the issue of shark interactions when fishing, such as sharks taking anglers’ catch before getting it to the boat.
The discussion also included a staff presentation that covered a recently conducted FWC survey focused on anglers’ experiences with predators when saltwater fishing.
“Sharks interacting with fishermen’s catch is an issue we are hearing about more and more,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “We are proud to have gathered together such a high-caliber group of experts and thank all of them for sharing their perspectives on interactions between fishermen and sharks in Florida. FWC looks forward to continued engagement with our panel and hearing from the public.”
Shark experts raised the issue of âshifting baselinesâ when state fishery managers held a round-table discussion recently on sharks off Florida interacting with anglers.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission invited the experts to educate them last week on the fishery and the species as the commissioners hear complaints from anglers about sharks stealing their catch or bait.
Anglers who are now complaining are only measuring their interactions from the last 30 years when shark conservation regulations were in place and the population rebounded. They do not have the perspective of watching the shark population decline for decades from overfishing for their fins, scientist and renowned artist Guy Harvey and Mote Marine Laboratory scientist Bob Hueter said. Finning was banned in Florida and the United States in 1992.
Florida wildlife officials eye shark encounters
By Jim Turner article
A group of 11 sharks swim together about 12 nautical miles offshore of New Smyrna Beach, FL on March 9, 2019. The school is likely comprised of spinner sharks (Carcharhinus brevipinna) known for their leaping and spinning behavior. (Florida Fish and
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - State wildlife officials are trying to better understand increased encounters between sharks and people fishing in Florida waters.
The incidents haven’t made the waters deadlier. But as conservation efforts have helped some shark species repopulate, the encounters appear more prevalent amid reports of sharks consuming catch before it’s brought onto boats or shortly after it is released back into the water, said Jessica McCawley, director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management.