Your Signatures Submitted for the Administrative Review of White Shark Fishing Regulations

Thanks for your comments during the  Office of Administrative Lawʻs review of the emergency regulations on white shark fishing. With our comments we submitted 100 responses through Shark Stewards and even more from partner organizations. A complaint from recreational fishermen feeling they did not have a chance to comment  (despite it being posted on the public agenda) catalyzed this evaluation and additional public comment period. 

There is a lot of misunderstanding, and misconceptions and the rooted feeling that fishermen feel they have the rights to kill large sharks wherever they want, despite the risk to public safety,  animal cruelty, and  the habituation and harm to sharks near public piers and beaches.  The Fish and Game Commission  is open to these comments, but the emergency regulations were implemented in response to concerns from the community, including the scientific community, to attracting sharks, including protected white sharks inshore where surfers, swimmers and other ocean recreationists overlap.

The regulations are limited to banning wire leaders and hook size 1000 yards from shore. Without any changes by the Commission in response to this comment period, the regulations stand until  December.  We are closely following this issue and this petition will remain open until the final Fish and Game Commission meeting this year. 

We intend to continue documenting shark fishing behavior in California and pursue making these regulations permanent  and increase  California policy protecting sharks and increasing public safety. 

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