PROCLAMATION
RE: COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL SHARK HARVEST
- ALL STATE WATERS
Preston P. Pate, Jr. Director, Division of Marine Fisheries,
hereby announces that effective at 6:00
A.M. Monday, March 8, 2004, the harvest of sharks taken in state waters is
restricted as follows:
I. COMMERCIAL HARVEST RESTRICTIONS:
A.
Seasons:
The
possession of sharks taken for commercial purposes may only occur during an
open portion of the seasons established by this proclamation. Open seasons in state waters shall be the
same as open seasons established by the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) for federal waters. These open
seasons are dependent on established quotas. The fishing seasons are defined
herein as:
1. Large
Coastal species group: January 1
until June 30, or closed by proclamation when the quota is
reached.
July 1 until December 31,
or closed by proclamation when the quota is reached.
2. Small Coastal species
group: January 1 until December 31, or
closed by proclamation when the quota is reached.
3. Pelagic species group: January 1 until December 31, or
closed by proclamation when the quota is
reached.
B.
Limits:
1. No person may possess more than one (1) shark per vessel per day during
an open season taken in internal coastal waters or in the Atlantic Ocean within
three nautical miles of shore by any gear for commercial purposes.
2. The
one shark possession may be made up of a shark from any of the three following
shark categories:Large Coastal, Small
Coastal, and Pelagic (see General Information Section). If NMFS closes any of these categories, then
possession or sale of sharks from that category is prohibited.
3. The possession of all sharks, except for tiger (Galeocerdo cuvieri), thresher (Alopias vulpinus), bigeye thresher (Alopias superciliosus), shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), and hammerhead species, genus (Sphyrna), greater than 84 inches fork length is prohibited.
4. The shark species, Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) is exempt from these harvest and size restrictions.
5. Smooth dogfish (Mustelis canis) are exempt from the season, harvest and size restrictions listed above.
6. Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) seasons and harvest limits are established under the Mid-Atlantic/New England Council Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan or the ASMFC Spiny Dogfish FMP.
7. All sharks not retained must be returned to the water in a manner to ensure the highest likelihood of survival.
8.
In accordance with
Federal Rule 50 CFR §635.30 (c) (2), a person may eviscerate (dress) and remove
the head and fins from a shark at sea, but must retain the fins with the
dressed carcass and land all fins and corresponding carcasses from the vessel
at the same point of landing. This
applies to Atlantic sharpnose sharks.
9.
Smooth dogfish may
be dressed at sea and are exempt from the requirement to retain and land fins
and corresponding carcasses together as specified in I.B.8 above.
II. RECREATIONAL PURPOSES AND HOOK-AND-LINE POSSESSION LIMITS:
A. The
possession of any shark species, excluding smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis), and spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), is
limited to one (1) shark per vessel per day, for vessels other
than charter and head boat vessels for hire.
B. The
possession limit for charter and head boat vessels, excluding smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis), and spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), is one (1) shark per person per day excluding
captain and crew. The sale of a charter
or head boat vessel possession limit is prohibited. The catch cannot be transferred from individual anglers to the
captain or crew.
C. If
no vessel is involved, the possession limit is one (1) shark per person per
day.
D. All
sharks except Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon
terraenovae), smooth dogfish, and spiny dogfish must be a minimum size of 54 inches fork length.
E. The
possession of all sharks, except for tiger (Galeocerdo cuvieri), thresher (Alopias
vulpinus), bigeye thresher (Alopias
superciliosus), shortfin mako (Isurus
oxyrinchus) and hammerhead species, genus (Sphyrna), greater than 84
inches fork length is prohibited.
F. Any
shark retained must have head, tail, and fins intact with the carcass through
the point of landing.
G. All
sharks not retained must be returned to the water in a manner to ensure the
highest likelihood of survival.
III. PROHIBITED SPECIES:
Possession
of the following shark species is prohibited in state waters: basking (Cetorhinus maximus), white (Carcharodon carcharias), sand tiger (Odontaspis taurus) and whale (Rhincodon typus).
IV. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. This proclamation
is issued under the authority of G.S. 113-182; 113-170.4; 113-170.5;
143B-289.52; and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103 and 3M .0505.
B. It is unlawful to
violate the provisions of any proclamation issued by the Fisheries Director
under his delegated authority per 15A NCAC 3H .0103.
C. The
federal seasons for sharks are based on quotas. Quota information can be obtained by contacting the NMFS Highly
Migratory Species Section at (301) 713-2347or (800) 894-5528.
D. The
shark species categories for management are Large Coastal, Small Coastal, and
Pelagic. The shark species within each
category available for retention in North Carolina waters are as follows:
Pelagic:
Bigeye
thresher (Alopias superciliosus),
Blue (Prionace glauca), Oceanic
whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus),
Porbeagle (Lamna nasus), Shortfin
mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), Thresher (Alopias vulpinus)
E. This
proclamation is intended to protect juvenile and immature sandbar sharks, and
juvenile, immature, and mature dusky sharks by reducing the direct and
incidental harvest (recreational and commercial) of these sharks in state
waters through the establishment of harvest restrictions in the shark
fishery. The intent of this
proclamation is also to stop the practice of finning sharks [removing the fins
and discarding the carcass (es)] within state and federal waters.
F. This
proclamation supersedes Proclamation FF-31-2000 dated June 16, 2000.
March 5, 2004
8:30 A.M.
FF-24-2002
/sab