Limits Placed On Shark Fishing

The federal government put tight restrictions Wednesday on shark fishing, saying overfishing is jeopardizing the survival of some species.

“Atlantic shark populations are at a precarious state and fishing pressure needs to be reduced,” said Rebecca Lent, a senior official of the National Marine Fisheries Service, which imposed the new quotas.

The restrictions go into effect immediately in waters stretching from the North Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico. Most shark are caught in southern waters from the Carolinas to Florida as well as in parts of the Gulf.

The agency, in a move that had been expected among fishermen and environmentalists, directed that commercial fishermen cut in half their annual catch of large coastal shark to no more than 1,275 metric tons a year.

It also placed tighter limits on how many shark recreational fishermen can catch, imposed new limits on fishing for small coastal sharks and banned all fishing for five species of shark considered particularly vulnerable, including the white shark made famous in movies.