Abstract:
The annual Gulf Coast Shark Census has the following major goals: to assess the feasibility of catch-and-release programs for U.S. shark recreational fisheries, and evaluate the effects of this practice on the survivorship of sharks targeted by recreational fishermen; transform the efforts of recreational fishermen from "catch-and kill" to catch-and-release of sharks where necessary and feasible, as well as promote tagging programs for all fishes, to conform with emerging management practices and serve as a model for similar programs throughout the nation; harness the energy of the recreational fishing community to collect long-term scientific data on species/size distributions, migration and growth, and catch per unit effort for sharks in the Gulf of Mexico; harness the energy of the recreational fishing community to collect long-term scientific data on species/size distributions, migration and growth, and catch per unit effort for sharks in the Gulf of Mexico; reward fishermen for participating in conservation and research-oriented fishing practices, instead of simply disallowing them from utilizing the resource; and encourage conservation and wise management of our common resources by educating fishermen, resource managers, and the public at large on the importance of sharks as a marine resource.
