Venezuela Bans Shark Finning, Establishes Shark Sanctuary
22 Jun 20127:04 PM
NOTE: This post was excerpted from an article by Douglas Main on OurAmazingPlanet. Click here to read the full article. Some much-needed good news for sharks has come from Venezuela this week: The South …
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![](mailto:?subject=Venezuela Bans Shark Finning, Establishes Shark Sanctuary&body=<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/img_1501.jpg"><img title="Tiger shark - Photo courtesy of Steve Valetta" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/img_1501.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="300" /></a>
NOTE: This post was excerpted from an article by Douglas Main on <a title="OAP.com" href="http://www.ouramazingplanet.com" target="_blank">OurAmazingPlanet</a>. Click <a title="Venezuela Bans Shark Finning, Establishes Shark Sanctuary" href="http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/3072-venezuela-bans-shark-finning.html" target="_blank">here</a> to read the full article.
Some much-needed good news for sharks has come from Venezuela this week: The South American country announced it is banning shark finning in its waters and has established a new shark sanctuary.
The country became the last in the Americas to outlaw the practice of cutting off the fins of live sharks and tossing the animals back into the ocean to slowly die.
The country also has created a sanctuary where several important shark species breed, outlawing commercial shark fishing there. The sanctuary consists of 1,440 square miles (3,730 square kilometers) of the Caribbean Sea surrounding the Los Roques Archipelago, a popular tourist destination. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/venezuela-bans-shark-finning-establishes-shark-sanctuary/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Florida Bans Killing of Tiger and Hammerhead Sharks&body=<a href="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/shark.jpg"><img title="Tiger shark" src="http://guyharvey.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/shark.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="296" /></a>
Killing Some Sharks in Florida Is Now A Crime
WorldFishingNetwork.com - Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, it will be illegal for anglers to harvest tiger <a href="http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/fishing-101/species/shark-746.aspx">sharks</a> and three species of hammerheads in Florida state waters.
The motion was brought forth by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Nov. 16 in an effort to further protect these top predators that rely on Florida waters to survive.
"Sometimes the appropriate measures of conservation are the problems we avoid, not the problems we have to fix," said Commissioner Brian Yablonski.
The new measures will also prohibit possession, sale, and exchange of tiger sharks and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead sharks. These sharks can still be caught, but only if released alive.
FWC's decision comes after more than a year of deliberation. Concerned citizens, shark researchers, and shark anglers expressed their desires to FWCto see increased protections for sharks.
Florida waters offer essential habitat for young sharks, which is important for species such as the slow-to-reproduce tiger shark, which takes about 15 years to reach maturity.
Sharks have been strictly regulated in Florida since 1992, with a one-shark-per-person, two-sharks-per-vessel daily bag limit for all recreational and commercial harvesters and a ban on shark finning. Roughly two-dozen overfished, vulnerable or rare shark species are catch-and-release only in Florida waters.
In addition to the new measures, FWC is also working on an educational campaign highlighting fishing and handling techniques that increase the survival rate of sharks that are caught and released while ensuring the safety of the anglers targeting them.
https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/florida-bans-killing-of-tiger-and-hammerhead-sharks/){kind=link}
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