Shark Guide Probes Uncharted WatersWhile a lone fin gliding at the surface of the water is enough to clear swimming areas and rates coverage on the nightly news, sharks have more to fear from humans than humans do from sharks. Along with other highly migratory species—tunas and billfishes—shark populations have been depleted partly by overfishing and partly by natural factors, such as slow maturity. Saving these fishes is important—they are among the most economically valuable creatures in the oceans—but not simple, since by their very nature they cover thousands of miles of ocean territory in search of food. Managing the fisheries for these species is further complicated by the difficulties in identifying these creatures for stock assessment purposes and for understanding biological and behavioral characteristics. To aid in this effort, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) and Rhode Island Sea Grant have teamed up to produce a 124-page guide that will help users distinguish among 44 highly migratory species that inhabit the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. According to author Margo Schulze-Haugen, NOAA Fisheries fishery management specialist, significant problems with species-specific identification—especially of sharks—by fishermen and others prompted NOAA Fisheries to produce the Guide to Sharks, Tunas & Billfishes of the U.S. Atlantic & Gulf of Mexico. This guide “is different from previous guides because it focuses on how to identify species while the fish is still in the water. Many guides rely on internal characteristics (which require that the fish be dead) or counting of body parts (which require that the fish be on board the vessel for some period of time), in addition to external characteristics,” Schulze-Haugen says. “The intent with our emphasis on external characteristics (seen often very quickly as the fish swims around) is to increase species-specific identifications without associated mortality. Fishing regulations often require that certain fish be released with a minimum of injury, and the best way to release a fish without harming it is by not bringing it aboard.” In order to focus on external characteristics, the authors—Schulze-Haugen, Tony Corey, Rhode Island Sea Grant communicator, and Nancy Kohler, Apex Predators Program chief, NOAA Fisheries Narragansett Laboratory—decided to use photographs to aid in identification. Corey says that “there are quite a few shark guides out there, and most
of them use drawings rather than photographs for illustration. We found
out there’s a reason for that. Photos are hard to come by. These animals
are protected because they’re rare or sparsely reported or poorly understood.
We don’t encounter them often, so we don’t have much visual documentation.
So, our major challenge was tracking down photos—finding pictures sharp
enough, detailed enough, distinctive enough to allow people to compare
what they see in the book to what they see in the Schulze-Haugen adds that although the guide won’t solve all species-specific identification problems, “Our hope is that it will be a useful resource for everyone, will result in a better-educated fishing public, and will increase the effectiveness of fishing regulations.” Printed on waterproof paper and spiral bound, the guide was designed for durability in the field—or in this case, on the ocean. In addition to diagnostic and field photographs, including side-by-side comparisons of many similar species, the guide offers at-a-glance physical descriptions and habitat and distribution information. It also includes information about reducing the risk of shark attack as well as procedures for the protection, handling, and release of entangled marine mammals and turtles. Species-specific experts have reviewed the content for accuracy. The Guide to Sharks, Tunas & Billfishes of the U.S. Atlantic &
Gulf of Mexico costs $25 plus $3 for U.S. shipping and handling. For
more information or to order, please contact Tracy Kennedy at (401) 874-6800.
—Monica Allard Cox
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