Florida wildlife managers approved a ground-breaking shark protection measure\u00a0 on Wednesday that will make it illegal for anglers fishing state waters to keep\u00a0 tiger sharks or three species of hammerheads.<\/p>\n
The measure is intended to reverse a sharp decline in populations of the four\u00a0 species, which use coastal waters as breeding and feeding grounds. Scientists\u00a0 say sharks, despite their dangerous reputations, serve important roles in\u00a0 maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the appropriate measures of conservation are the problems we\u00a0 avoid, not the problems we have to fix,\u201d said Brian Yablonski, a member of the\u00a0 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in a release.<\/p>\n
The new rule, which will take effect Jan. 1, prohibits the possession,\u00a0 sale and exchange of tiger sharks and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead\u00a0 sharks harvested from state waters. Another 22 species share similar\u00a0 protections.<\/p>\n
Environmentalists praised the move and hope it will be adopted for federal\u00a0 waters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe federal government should make today\u2019s new rule a consistent policy in\u00a0 all U.S. waters,\u201d said Rebecca Greenberg, a marine scientist for Oceana.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Florida wildlife managers approved a ground-breaking shark protection measure\u00a0 on Wednesday that will make it illegal for anglers fishing state waters to keep\u00a0 tiger sharks or three species of hammerheads.
\nThe measure is intended to reverse a sharp decline in populations of the four\u00a0 species, which use coastal waters as breeding and feeding grounds. Scientists\u00a0 say sharks, despite their dangerous reputations, serve important roles in\u00a0 maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.
\n\u201cSometimes the appropriate measures of conservation are the problems we\u00a0 avoid, not the problems we have to fix,\u201d said Brian Yablonski, a member of the\u00a0 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in a release.
\nThe new rule, which will take effect Jan. 1, prohibits the possession,\u00a0 sale and exchange of tiger sharks and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead\u00a0 sharks harvested from state waters. Another 22 species share similar\u00a0 protections.
\nEnvironmentalists praised the move and hope it will be adopted for federal\u00a0 waters.
\n\u201cThe federal …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,31,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fish","category-report","category-sharks"],"yoast_head":"\n