Sharks in State Waters Need Your Support

Millions of sharks are killed worldwide each year in fisheries, and the lucrative global trade in shark fins is driving the extermination of sharks in many parts of the world. In U.S. territorial waters, federal regulations prohibit the practice of shark finning and establish limits on shark catches to foster the recovery of overfished species. In coastal waters under the states' jurisdiction, however, the rules often do not achieve federal standards of conservation and undermine efforts to conserve sharks.

Now, for the first time, the Atlantic states are proposing an interstate fishery management plan (FMP) to coordinate shark fishery management in coastal waters. A key goal of the draft FMP is to achieve parity with federal laws and standards, eliminating confusion and closing loopholes that allow unsustainable practices to continue. Among the measures under consideration is a proposal to protect the nursery areas in coastal waters in order to give shark populations a chance to recover. Please click here to send a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to show your support of protecting coastal sharks.