Florida approves shark protections

Florida wildlife managers approved a ground-breaking shark protection measure  on Wednesday that will make it illegal for anglers fishing state waters to keep  tiger sharks or three species of hammerheads.

The measure is intended to reverse a sharp decline in populations of the four  species, which use coastal waters as breeding and feeding grounds. Scientists  say sharks, despite their dangerous reputations, serve important roles in  maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.

“Sometimes the appropriate measures of conservation are the problems we  avoid, not the problems we have to fix,” said Brian Yablonski, a member of the  Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in a release.

The new rule, which will take effect Jan. 1, prohibits the possession,  sale and exchange of tiger sharks and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead  sharks harvested from state waters. Another 22 species share similar  protections.

Environmentalists praised the move and hope it will be adopted for federal  waters.

“The federal government should make today’s new rule a consistent policy in  all U.S. waters,” said Rebecca Greenberg, a marine scientist for Oceana.

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