FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida may crackdown on shark fishing from the beach.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will vote Feb. 20 on a plan to limit the practice and protect swimmers.
The proposal would ban the spreading bloody fish parts in the water to attract sharks. Swimmers say the practice endangers them.
It would also require that fisherman get a shark permit, not haul sharks out of the water before being released and restrict the types of hooks used.
Fishermen say the restrictions will make shark fishing more dangerous because they remove the animals to safely take out the hooks before releasing them.
Proponents say the sharks would be better off physically if the hook is left in rather than pulled into the air.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.