To: Bo Poertner,

       You wrote;

"Lost in the frenzy, somehow, was the fact that the number of attacks was actually down from the previous year. Off the U.S. coast last year, 55 shark attacks were reported, one less than in 2000.

Let's be honest, though: 37 of the incidents were off the Florida coast -- 21 off Volusia County.

Translated into tabloid-type headlines, that makes Volusia "Shark Attack Capital of the World."

Hi Bo Poertner,

       I have just finished reading your article from the Volusia section of the Orlando Sentinel this morning titled Shark fest?
       Having just returned from Washington, DC on April 3, where at government (National Marine Fisheries Service, [NMFS]) invitation, I participated in the highly migratory species (HMS) advisory panel (AP), which handles sharks, tunas and swordfish. I personally represent much of the directed shark fisheries from Maine to Texas which are commercially fishing large coastal sharks (LCS).
       I will tell you what I told the government, the shark academia, the conservation groups, the recreational fisheries and the commercial fisheries, these HMS shark populations, particularly in the Southeast US has benefited from a series of regulatory actions dating back to 1992.
       The state of Florida enacted rules in 1992 which pushed commercial fishing with longlines for sharks out of the state waters.
       During April 1993, the NMFS implemented the Atlantic Shark Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) which began the first management regime for sharks in our federal waters. This created the first shutdown in May 1993 of what had been a growth shark industry which the NMFS and Sea Grant helped to encourage into existence since the early 1980s. During the first decade, the NMFS failed to monitor the catch.
       After a well orchestrated campaign in Florida, a statewide net ban took place in 1995 which eliminated the last commercial shark fishing with gillnets from state waters.
       The NMFS also chose to not allow the million pound increase to the LCS quota in 1995 and instead froze the LCS quota at the @ six million pounds dressed weight.
       During April 1997, the NMFS chose to cut the LCS quota by 50% and claimed that they didn't have to do a socioeconomic analysis on their final action since it wouldn't have a "significant" impact. I put together a coalition of stakeholders in the shark industry and filed suit in Tampa federal court on May 2, 1997.
       Judge Merryday allowed the @ 3 million pound cut to the LCS quota to stand while he investigated the bonafides of our case. By February 1998, Judge Merryday remanded the NMFS to complete an economic analysis by May 1998. When finished the NMFS admitted that their actions would have a significant impact on our historical community.
       Also, of important note during July 1997 was a Florida rule that pushed the shrimp boats for the first time in 50 years outside of one mile from the beach on the East coast. This created a version of sanctuary where prey fish and predators could hang out without being effected by any commercial fishing enterprises since 1997.
       By May 28, 1999, before our 1997 federal shark lawsuit was settled, the NMFS chose to cut the commercial LCS quota by another 50% plus. We filed our second lawsuit against the US Department of Commerce on June 25, 1999. Judge Merryday froze the quota at the 1997 levels until everything got settled.
       By December 7, 2000, Judge Merryday signed off on a settlement agreement with my coalition lead by plaintiff Southern Offshore Fishing Association, (SOFA) and the NMFS, which issues included an independent peer review of the faulty 1998 shark science and paid back a significant portion of our attorneys fees.
       As of the end of 2001, our coalition won the independent review of the science. Now the NMFS is trying to correct that shark science during the summer of 2002, and then that has to be peer reviewed also. This will set the pace of LCS quota for years to come it seems.
       With regard to the 2001 US shark attacks being one less than the year 2000, check the shark attack file and you will see that the year 2000 was the record year. Before the start of the Atlantic Shark FMP in 1993, shark attacks averaged about a dozen a year. Since management began, the numbers of shark attacks have substantially increased since 1993, particularly in Volusia County where my family has lived and worked in the fishing and boating trade since the 1870s.
       A final thought, sharks have their regular menu and human beings just don't like the idea of being the special of the day when they enter into the sharks environment. Luckily for many of the swimmers and surfers in Volusia County, the juvenile large coastal sharks like the Blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) dominate, which create the minor shark bites in many cases reported near Ponce Inlet.
       Remember though, these smaller sharks are prey for the more dangerous Bull sharks and Tiger sharks. These sharks tend to maim and kill more often than not when they get hold of a human being. That is why I believe that ideas of education have merit about the ecosystem for the benefit of the folks who like to go into the surf. Outgoing tides near inlets, murky waters, lots of baitfish being worked by birds and such, sunrise and sunset are bad times to be in the saltwater.
       Technically, Volusia County beaches have fewer folks able to visit during recent years due to turtle nesting, driving banned in some regions now and no parking available near the beaches for many areas that have been impacted by these closures and other changes.
       As a further closing thought for now, many of our turtle hatchlings are becoming lunch for the sharks like never before in a half a century or so. The belly's of the sharks that lurk just offshore of the beach are usually full when our guys are able to target the sharks as they show up just outside the state waters, in the federal areas outside 3 miles after the turtles hatch and swim east.
       If you would like some further information, I will be glad to help you out.

Rusty

Russell H. Hudson
PO Box 11604
Daytona Beach, Florida 32120-1604

(386) 239-0948 Phone
(386) 253-2843 Fax
RHudson106@aol.com

Directed Shark Fisheries, Inc.
Shark Specialist
NMFS Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP) member
NMFS Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team (ALWTRT) Southeast, member
NMFS Bottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Team (BDTRT) member (alternate)