Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops

All federally-permitted shark dealers are required to attend an Atlantic shark identification workshop.

The objective of these workshops is to reduce the number of unknown and improperly identified sharks reported in the dealer reporting form and to increase the accuracy of species-specific dealer reported information, quota monitoring, and the data used in stock assessments. These workshops train shark dealer permit holders, or their proxies, to properly identify Atlantic shark carcasses.

Instructor: Eric Sander | ericssharkguide@yahoo.com | (386) 852-8588

Requirements

Required Attendance

All federally-permitted shark dealers must attend this workshop and obtain a workshop certificate prior to renewing their shark dealer permit. Shark dealers may send someone else (a proxy) to a workshop, instead of attending themselves.

If a dealer decides to send a proxy, then a proxy from each place of business which first receives sharks under the dealer’s permit must attend the workshop. A proxy must be a person who is currently employed by a business authorized to receive sharks under the dealer’s permit; is a primary participant in the identification, weighing, and/or first receipt of fish as they are offloaded from a vessel; and is involved in filling out dealer reports.

All workshop certificates must be renewed every three years, prior to renewing the shark dealer permit. Applications for permit renewals will be considered incomplete and a permit will not be issued unless a copy (or copies, if multiple locations first receive sharks) of a valid shark identification workshop certificate is submitted.

Workshop Certificate

1. Submit a copy of all workshop certificates with the application to renew a shark dealer permit.

2. Keep a copy of the workshop certificate at each place of business which first receives sharks under a dealer's permit.

3. Keep a copy of the workshop certificate in trucks, or other conveyances of shark products, which are extensions of a dealer's place of business.

Dates and Locations

Upcoming workshops are listed below.  Workshops are scheduled quarterly in many locations in the Atlantic and Gulf states. For more information please see the Federal Register Notice.

All workshops will be held from 12 p.m. (noon) to 4 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

July 9

Hampton Inn
720 East Cypress Creek Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334

July 23

Hampton Inn
3312 Vista Drive
Rosenberg, TX 77471

August 6

Country Inn & Suites
10241 Clarence Street
Panama City Beach, FL 32407

Registration

Sign up for a Workshop

Please e-mail Eric Sander or call (386) 852-8588 to pre-register. Pre-registration is highly recommended but not required. 

Prepare for a Workshop

To prepare for the workshop, please fill out the correct form below* and e-mail it to Eric Sander, fax it to (386) 258-2177, or bring it to the workshop.

• Shark Dealer/Permit Holder Registration Form – Download File (PDF, 1 page).

• Proxy Registration Form – Download File (PDF, 1 page).

• Participant Registration Form – Download File (PDF, 1 page).

To ensure your workshop certificate is linked to the correct permit, please bring the following materials with you to the workshop:

Shark Dealer/Permit Holder

1. Proof of identification.

2. A copy of the permit.

Proxy

1. Proof of identification.

2. A copy of the permit.

3. Documentation from the permit holder acknowledging that the proxy is attending the workshop on behalf of the permit holder.

New Dealer Permit Applicants

A person attending the workshop for the purpose of obtaining a new shark dealer permit must be either: 

• The owner of a sole proprietorship company.
• A corporate officer on record of an incorporated (Inc.) or limited liability company (LLC.). 

New permit applicants should bring: 

1. Proof of identification. 
2. Completed Participant Registration Form. 

* There are three ways you can fill out a form:

1. If you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat (Standard or Professional), you can download the form, type in the fields, save the form, and e-mail it to Eric Sander.

2. If you only have Acrobat Reader you can type in the fields and send the form using Reader, or you can print the form and bring it to the workshop.

3. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Professional or Adobe Reader simply print out the form, write in the spaces bring it to the workshop.