How to Kill a Shark
Apply for a marine fishing license., Find out the local regulations regarding harvesting sharks in your area., Only fish for the right kind of sharks., Avoid fishing in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)., Never “fin” sharks., Make sure you can identify...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Apply for a marine fishing license.
Just as you would for any kind of fishing, if you hope to go out fishing for sharks, you need to register with the Department of Wildlife or the Hunting and Fishing Service in your area to make it legal.
In most places, there is no "shark season," but other fishing guidelines and restrictions may apply in your area.
To catch sharks in the United States, you need to apply for a National Marine Fisheries Service license with the Department of Hunting and Wildlife, found here. -
Step 2: Find out the local regulations regarding harvesting sharks in your area.
The regulations for hunting sharks vary widely depending on the region you’re in.
In some areas, including the Bay off California, there is no “shark season,” while in Massachusetts, minimum weight requirements and seasons for blues, makos, and threshers are strictly enforced.
It's critical that you get informed about the local regulations by getting information from the Department of Marine Wildlife in your area to make sure any fishing expedition you've got planned is legal.
In the US, blue sharks are the most frequently caught variety of shark, typically taken on deep-sea fishing expeditions off chartered boats.
If you want to go shark fishing, this is typically the best way to do it.
You'll be sure you're fishing for the right sharks and can quickly identify the legal species, with pros there to help you.
Look for shark fishing tournaments in your area.
In some regions, marine biologists and fishermen have teamed up to experience the thrill of the hunt and the knowledge that can come from interacting with sharks up close and then releasing them safely back into the wild.
These types of fishing tournaments are a healthy and legal coming-together of science and sport., Depending on where you’re fishing, certain shark species may be more present than others, while certain species are universally outlawed for harvesting.It is universally illegal to kill any of the following species of shark:
Tiger shark Whale sharks Great whites Atlantic angel Basking Bigeye sand tiger, six- or seven gills, and threshers Bignose Caribbean reef Dusky Galapagos Great, scalloped, or smooth hammerheads Lemon shark Longfin mako Narrow tooth Night Sandbar Sand tiger Silky Small tail , In the United States, attempts are being made to coordinate areas identified locally as being target areas for conservation and research, to bring these areas under government oversight.
Because maritime law is somewhat more complex than the law of the land, it's been a challenge to make shark-hunting or fishing laws applicable across a wide variety of locations and waters.
The introduction of MPAs seeks to simplify that.
You can keep up to date with fishing restricted national waters by clicking here. , The most valuable part of the shark is usually the fins, which are used in many different cultural cuisines as the basis for a soup stock.
Because of this, the practice of "finning" sharks–cutting off their fins and tossing the carcasses, often still alive, back into the water–is almost universally illegal, not to mention morally bankrupt.While the practice is done mostly on species that are already restricted, finning sharks is illegal, regardless of the species, and trading in shark fins is increasingly restricted and illegal all over the world.
Even if you hope to use the fins for soup, you need to take the whole shark and dress it using a humane method. , If you can't tell a tiger from a blue, you need to get your fishing line out of the water.
Invest in a good shark field guide and mark the variety of legal sharks, so you can quickly reference them while you're out fishing and make sure any sharks that you see are legal, or quickly identify any sharks that you've brought on board.
Since sharks are usually underwater, obviously, giving a positive ID can be difficult.
Mostly, identifying sharks is about examining the notches and coloring of the fins and looking at the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail, to get a sense of how long it is.
Knowing the geography, the length of the shark, and seeing the dorsal is enough for experts to identify the shark correctly. -
Step 3: Only fish for the right kind of sharks.
-
Step 4: Avoid fishing in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
-
Step 5: Never “fin” sharks.
-
Step 6: Make sure you can identify the shark species you're likely to encounter.
Detailed Guide
Just as you would for any kind of fishing, if you hope to go out fishing for sharks, you need to register with the Department of Wildlife or the Hunting and Fishing Service in your area to make it legal.
In most places, there is no "shark season," but other fishing guidelines and restrictions may apply in your area.
To catch sharks in the United States, you need to apply for a National Marine Fisheries Service license with the Department of Hunting and Wildlife, found here.
The regulations for hunting sharks vary widely depending on the region you’re in.
In some areas, including the Bay off California, there is no “shark season,” while in Massachusetts, minimum weight requirements and seasons for blues, makos, and threshers are strictly enforced.
It's critical that you get informed about the local regulations by getting information from the Department of Marine Wildlife in your area to make sure any fishing expedition you've got planned is legal.
In the US, blue sharks are the most frequently caught variety of shark, typically taken on deep-sea fishing expeditions off chartered boats.
If you want to go shark fishing, this is typically the best way to do it.
You'll be sure you're fishing for the right sharks and can quickly identify the legal species, with pros there to help you.
Look for shark fishing tournaments in your area.
In some regions, marine biologists and fishermen have teamed up to experience the thrill of the hunt and the knowledge that can come from interacting with sharks up close and then releasing them safely back into the wild.
These types of fishing tournaments are a healthy and legal coming-together of science and sport., Depending on where you’re fishing, certain shark species may be more present than others, while certain species are universally outlawed for harvesting.It is universally illegal to kill any of the following species of shark:
Tiger shark Whale sharks Great whites Atlantic angel Basking Bigeye sand tiger, six- or seven gills, and threshers Bignose Caribbean reef Dusky Galapagos Great, scalloped, or smooth hammerheads Lemon shark Longfin mako Narrow tooth Night Sandbar Sand tiger Silky Small tail , In the United States, attempts are being made to coordinate areas identified locally as being target areas for conservation and research, to bring these areas under government oversight.
Because maritime law is somewhat more complex than the law of the land, it's been a challenge to make shark-hunting or fishing laws applicable across a wide variety of locations and waters.
The introduction of MPAs seeks to simplify that.
You can keep up to date with fishing restricted national waters by clicking here. , The most valuable part of the shark is usually the fins, which are used in many different cultural cuisines as the basis for a soup stock.
Because of this, the practice of "finning" sharks–cutting off their fins and tossing the carcasses, often still alive, back into the water–is almost universally illegal, not to mention morally bankrupt.While the practice is done mostly on species that are already restricted, finning sharks is illegal, regardless of the species, and trading in shark fins is increasingly restricted and illegal all over the world.
Even if you hope to use the fins for soup, you need to take the whole shark and dress it using a humane method. , If you can't tell a tiger from a blue, you need to get your fishing line out of the water.
Invest in a good shark field guide and mark the variety of legal sharks, so you can quickly reference them while you're out fishing and make sure any sharks that you see are legal, or quickly identify any sharks that you've brought on board.
Since sharks are usually underwater, obviously, giving a positive ID can be difficult.
Mostly, identifying sharks is about examining the notches and coloring of the fins and looking at the distance between the dorsal fin and the tail, to get a sense of how long it is.
Knowing the geography, the length of the shark, and seeing the dorsal is enough for experts to identify the shark correctly.
About the Author
Linda Barnes
Creates helpful guides on pet care to inspire and educate readers.
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