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S.E. Wood Another endangered species -- us! You've probably been reading about the recent
surge in shark attacks in waters off the U.S. coasts. Within
the past few weeks, an 8-year-old Florida boy lost an arm, a
man on his honeymoon in the Bahamas had his leg torn off, plus
11 other less-serious encounters. Shark attacks last year reached record levels.
Seventy-nine shark attacks were recorded worldwide - 49 of them
off US coasts; 34 in Florida. What's happening? Why are we getting more
than our share? Could government intervention be responsible?
The government began management of the U.S.
commercial shark industry in 1993. Strict limits were placed
upon the number of sharks that could be taken from U.S. waters
by both commercial and sport fishers. Gill netting and long line
netting were outlawed. The commercial shark season was shortened.
"Trip limits" were imposed. Commercial shark fishing
permits were reduced from 2,000 to around 200. Nearly 20 types
of sharks, including the dreaded Great White shark, have been
declared off limits. The result is that shark harvest has been
reduced by more than 86 percent, and shark population has soared!
The number of shark attacks has risen steadily
as shark catch totals have fallen, and shark population increased.
Surprise, surprise! In 1993, the year the government stepped
into shark management, there were eight documented shark attacks
off the coasts of Florida. Last year, there were 34. So why all the government shark protection?
That is still a mystery to the members of the Southeastern Fisheries
Association. Members of this organization report a surplus of
sharks, not a scarcity. Shrimp fishermen are reporting increasing
problems with sharks tearing up their nets. Commercial shark
fishermen are now able to catch their legal limit in one night,
rather than the usual three or four. So here we have another example of the government cure being worse than the problem. Now we have protected sharks chasing swimmers, protected alligators chasing golfers, ranchers losing their livestock to protected wolves and coyotes, and farmers losing their crops to protected suckerfish. Maybe our only chance for survival is to get ourselves included on the government's endangered species list. |