FWC Regulations : Evolution of Each Regulation : Sharks and Rays :

SHARKS AND RAYS, CH 46-44, F.A.C. (Effective April 8, 1992)

· Establishes a daily bag limit of one shark per person and a maximum possession limit of two sharks harvested from state waters aboard a vessel for both recreational and commercial fishermen

· Requires that commercial shark fishermen have a federal permit to fish in state waters, beginning July 1, 1992

· Establishes harvest season for sharks as July 1 - June 30 each year

· Prohibits all commercial harvest of sharks in state waters whenever federal waters close to the harvest of large coastal sharks (the sale of sharks and shark fins harvested from state waters is prohibited beginning 31 days after any state waters closure)

· Prohibits "finning" (removing shark fins and returning the remainder of the carcass to the sea); however, fins may be removed from the shark while at sea, provided that the number of unattached fins in possession are in a proportion of at least one shark carcass for every five fins landed

· Requires that sharks be released in a manner that will ensure maximum probability of survival

· Prohibits sharks caught by recreational fishermen from being transferred at sea and prohibits all sale of sharks caught by recreational fishermen

· Prohibits all harvest, landing, and sale of sawsharks, sawfish, basking sharks, whale sharks, and spotted eagle rays in state waters, and declares these animals as "protected species"

SHARKS AND RAYS, CH 46-44, F.A.C. (Effective February 14, 1994)

· Prohibits the removal of any shark fin from a shark harvested in state waters prior to landing

· Prohibits persons returning from federal waters, with sharks or shark fins harvested in such waters, from fishing in state waters

· Conforms commercial season closure provisions with federal rules, and prohibits the sale of sharks whenever adjacent federal waters are closed to commercial shark fishing

SHARKS AND RAYS, CH 46-44, F.A.C. (Effective January 1, 1998)

· Declares sand tiger sharks, bigeye sand tiger sharks, white sharks, and manta rays as protected species and prohibits the harvest of these species; in addition, sawsharks are removed from this designation

· Closes state waters to the commercial harvest and sale of small or large coastal sharks when adjacent federal waters close to this fishery

· Prohibits filleting sharks at sea (the evisceration and removal of heads and tails of sharks on vessels is not prohibited)

SHARKS AND RAYS, CH 68B-44, F.A.C. (Effective March 9, 2006)

Renamed the “protected species” list the “prohibited species” list, and added Atlantic angel shark, bigeye sixgill shark, bigeye thresher shark, bignose shark, Caribbean reef shark, dusky shark, Galapagos shark, longfin mako shark, narrowtooth shark, night shark, sevengill shark, sixgill shark, and smalltail shark to the list.

Prohibits all harvest, possession and sale of spiny dogfish
Eliminates the six-month shark closure periods
Closes state waters automatically to only shark species that are affected by a federal closure