US Porbeagle Shark Fishery to be Closed

NMFS Announces a Closure of the
Commercial Porbeagle Shark Fishery

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) projects that the landings for the commercial
porbeagle shark fishery have exceeded 80 percent of the available quota. As required by NMFS
regulations, 50 CFR 6.35 .28(b )(2), NMFS is closing the commercial porbeagle shark fishery as
of 11:30 p.m. local time August 29, 2011. From the effective date and time of the closure until
and if NMFS announces, via a notice in the Federal Register, that additional quota is available
and the season is reopened, the fishery for that specific quota is closed, even across fishing years.

On December 8, 2010 (75 FR 76302), NMFS announced that the porbeagle shark fishery for the
2010 fishing year was open and the available porbeagle shark quota was 1.6 metric tons (mt)
dressed weight (dw) (3,479 lb dw). Dealer reports through the July 31, 2010, reporting period
indicate that 2.3 mt dw or 147 percent of the available quota for porbeagle sharks has been
landed, which exceeds the 80 percent limit specified in the regulations. Accordingly, NMFS is
closing the commercial porbeagle shark fishery as of 11 :30 p.m. local time 5 days after the date
of filing notice with the Office ofthe Federal Register.

During the closure, retention of porbeagle sharks is prohibited for persons fishing aboard vessels
issued a commercial shark limited access permit under 50 CFR 635.4, unless the vessel is
properly permitted to operate as a charter vessel or headboat for HMS and is engaged in a forhire
trip, in which case the recreational retention limits for sharks and “no sale” provisions apply
(50 CFR 635.22(a) and (c)). A shark dealer issued a permit pursuant to § 635.4 may not
purchase or receive porbeagle sharks from a vessel issued an Atlantic shark limited access permit
(LAP), except that a permitted shark dealer or processor may possess porbeagle sharks that were
harvested, off-loaded, and sold, traded, or bartered, prior to the effective date of the closure and
were held in storage. Under this closure, a shark dealer issued a permit pursuant to § 635.4 may,
in accordance with state regulations, purchase or receive a porbeagle sharks if the sharks were
harvested, off-loaded, and sold, traded, or bartered from a vessel that fishes only in state waters
and that has not been issued an Atlantic Shark LAP, HMS Angling permit, or HMS
Charter/Headboat permit pursuant to § 635.4.

25. August 2011
Emily Menashes, NMFS Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries.

Source: NMFS