2021 Atlantic Shark Commercial Fishery Landings and Retention Limit Updates
These notices are a courtesy to Atlantic HMS fishery participants to keep you informed about the fishery. Catch statistics from previous months are available below or by contacting the Atlantic HMS Fisheries Management Division at 301-427-8503.
The following are preliminary landings estimates in metric tons (mt) and pounds (lb) dressed weight (dw) for the Atlantic shark commercial fisheries; 1 mt is equal to 2,204.6 pounds. These preliminary estimates are based on dealer reports and other information received throughout the year. The estimates include landings by state-only permitted vessels, federally permitted vessels, and the 2020 shark research fishery participants. We provide percentages of landings instead of estimated landings or show the "<" symbol where needed to continue ensuring participant confidentiality.
NOAA Fisheries will announce closures of management groups when landings reach or are projected to reach 80 percent of the available overall, regional, and/or sub-regional quota, unless the management group’s landings are not projected to reach 100 percent of the applicable quota before the end of the year. Management groups that are quota linked close when landings of either of the linked management groups reach or are projected to reach 80 percent of the available overall, regional, and/or sub-regional quota, unless the management group’s landings are not projected to reach 100 percent of the applicable quota before the end of the year.
The fishing seasons for all shark management groups opened on January 1, 2021.
January 1 - January 29
Posted February 5, 2021
Gulf of Mexico Region
- Includes any landings south and west 25 ° 20.4’ N. long.
- As of 1/1/2021, the retention limit for directed permit holders is 45 large coastal sharks other than sandbar sharks per vessel per trip in the western and eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-regions.
- The retention limit for directed permit holders can change throughout the season.
|
Sub-Region |
Shark Management Group |
2021 Quota |
Estimated Landings Through 1/29/2021 (dw) |
% of 2020 Quota |
2020 Landings Through same reporting period (dw) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Western Gulf of Mexico (West of 88° W. lat. only) |
Blacktip |
347.2 mt dw (765,392 lb dw) |
36.9 mt (81,388 lb) |
11% |
12.9 mt (28,485 lb) |
|
Aggregated Large Coastal (quota linked to Hammerhead) |
72.0 mt dw (158,724 lb dw) |
<20.0 mt (<44,100 lb) |
<30%
|
<6.8 mt (<15,000 lb) |
|
|
Hammerhead (quota linked to Agg. LCS) |
11.9 mt dw (26,301 lb dw) |
<1.0 mt (<2,000 lb) |
<1% |
0 mt (0 lb)
|
|
|
Eastern Gulf of Mexico (East of 88° W. lat. only) |
Blacktip |
37.7 mt dw (83,158 lb dw) |
<1.0 mt (<2,000 lb)
|
<5% |
<1.9 mt (<4,200 lb) |
|
Aggregated Large Coastal (quota linked to Hammerhead) |
85.5 mt dw (188,593 lb dw) |
5.7 mt (12,622 lb)
|
7% |
9 mt (17,765 lb) |
|
|
Hammerhead (quota linked to Agg. LCS) |
13.4 mt dw (29,421 lb dw) |
0 mt (0 lb) |
< 0% |
<0.5 mt (1,400 lb) |
|
|
N/A |
Non-Blacknose Small Coastal |
112.6 mt dw (248,215 lb dw) |
<3 mt (<6,600 lb)
|
<5% |
<1.4 mt (<3,000 lb) |
|
N/A |
Smoothhound |
504.6 mt dw (1,112,441 lb dw) |
0 mt (0 lb) |
0% |
< 5.4 mt dw (< 12,000 lb dw) |
Atlantic Region
- Includes any landings north of 25° 20.4’ N. lat.
- As of 1/1/2021, the retention limit for directed permit holders is 36 large coastal sharks other than sandbar sharks per vessel per trip, and the retention limit for all permit holders is 8 blacknose sharks per vessel per trip.
- The retention limit for directed permit holders can change throughout the season.
|
Shark Management Group |
2021 Quota |
Estimated Landings Through 1/29/2021 (dw) |
% of 2021 Quota |
2020 Landings through same reporting period (dw) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aggregated Large Coastal (quota linked to Hammerhead) |
168.9 mt dw (372,552 lb dw) |
4.7 mt (10,280 lb) |
2.8% |
2.2 mt (4,847 lb ) |
|
Hammerhead (quota linked to Agg. LCS) |
27.1 mt dw (59,736 lb dw) |
<1.4 mt (<3,000 lb)
|
<5% |
<1.4 mt (<3,000 lb ) |
|
Non-Blacknose Small Coastal (quota linked to Blacknose south of 34° N. lat. only) |
264.1 mt dw (582,333 lb dw) |
9.6 mt (21,169 lb) |
3.6% |
4.0 mt (8,873 lb ) |
|
Blacknose (South of 34° N. lat. only) |
17.2 mt dw (37,921 lb dw) |
<0.9 mt (<2,000 lb ) |
<5% |
<0.9 mt (<2,000 lb ) |
|
Smoothhound |
1,802.6 mt dw (3,971,587 lb dw) |
3.1 mt (6,891 lb )
|
<1% |
0.9 mt (2,077 lb ) |
No Regional Quotas
|
Shark Management Group |
2021 Quota |
Estimated Landings Through 1/29/2021 |
% of 2020 Quota |
2020 Landings through same reporting period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shark Research Fishery (Aggregated LCS) |
50.0 mt dw (110,230 lb dw) |
0.0 mt (0 lb ) |
0% |
0.0 mt (0 lb ) |
|
Shark Research Fishery (Sandbar only) |
90.7 mt dw (199,943 lb dw) |
0.0 mt (0 lb ) |
0% |
0.0 mt (0 lb ) |
|
Blue |
273.0 mt dw (601,856 lb dw) |
0 mt dw (0 lb dw) |
0% |
0 mt dw (0 lb ) |
|
Porbeagle |
1.7 mt dw (3,748 lb dw) |
0 mt dw (0 lb dw) |
0% |
0.0 mt (0 lb ) |
|
Pelagic Sharks Other Than Porbeagle or Blue |
488.0 mt dw (1,075,856 lb dw) |
1.6 mt (3,580 lb ) |
<1% |
0.4 mt (4,681 lb ) |
Species in Each Shark Management Group that Has Multiple Species
|
Aggregated Large Coastal |
Hammerhead |
Non-Blacknose Small Coastal |
Pelagic Sharks Other than Porbeagle or Blue |
Smoothhound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
*Blacktip shark is part of its own management group in the Gulf of Mexico region.
** Smooth dogfish is the only smoothhound species in the Atlantic Region
This notice is a courtesy to the HMS fishery participants to help keep you informed about the fishery. For further information on this landings update, contact Heather Baertlein at 608-713-1793. The information will also be posted on the HMS website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-highly-migratory-species-landings-updates.
