Shark scam

[Flygaff]

I received this from Maryland the other day. It seems as the commercial guys are taking over the shark fishing industry. Maryland is allowing commercials to retain 25 sharks per trip.




https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDDNR/bulletins/1dc97cb

[Billfish715]

Maryland must have a lot of sharks along their coastline. This does indicate that the fishing is for "coastal" sharks. Assuming that jurisdiction over state waters extends only three miles off the beach, those species of sharks have to be commercially fished for within the state's waters. Unless there is an invasion of sharks in those waters, I don't see that the regulations will affect the population of inshore sharks very much. Besides the logistics of fishing for sharks so close to the inshore bottom fishing areas, there has to be a market for sharks. Is there a demand for blacktips, and hammerheads and others? This sounds like someone's idea to appease a certain segment of the commercial industry. I'd be curious to know what the estimate of sharks is for the inshore waters off Maryland's coastline and how many sharks are actually harvested at the end of their season.