July 16, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Sharks are vital to the health of the ecosystems they inhabit, and some represent an important resource for commercial and recreational fishing communities. While federal fisheries laws are designed to ensure sustainable shark populations, cooperative research by commercial fishermen is a key component for supporting sustainable fishery management of sharks in the Northwest Atlantic.

Each fall, commercial fishermen are given the opportunity to apply for, and if qualified, to be randomly selected to participate in the research fishery. Fishermen who are interested, can sign up for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) News to receive notice about how to apply along with other information about shark and HMS fisheries.

Learn more from our shark researchers about the science behind shark fishery management in the Northwest Atlantic. Watch our latest Youtube video!

And for more shark science videos, visit NOAA Fisheries YouTube channel.