2010 Florida Shark Fishing Regulations

Here are the new shark fishing regulations for the State of Florida.

As a barometer for the sport fishing industry the State of Florida is making improvements to shark fisheries.

■ New additions to the prohibited species list are sandbar, silky and Caribbean sharpnose sharks.

■ Sharks must be landed whole. This means filleting and removing heads, fins, and tails of sharks at sea is not allowed. Gutting and bleeding of sharks at sea is allowed to preserve the meat.

■ There is no minimum size limit for Atlantic sharpnose sharks, blacknose sharks, blacktip sharks, bonnethead sharks, finetooth sharks, and smooth dogfish, all other sharks must be at least 54 inches long (fork length) to harvest or possess.

■ Sharks may be harvested with hook and line gear only. Additionally, snatching and use of multiple (e.g. treble) hooks with natural baits is not allowed.

■ There is a bag limit of one shark per person per day and a maximum of 2 sharks per vessel per day.

■ Smooth dogfish and the Florida smoothhound are now included in the shark regulations. For a complete list of regulated sharks please visit MyFWC.com. Many sharks are difficult to identify and it is up to anglers to learn how to properly identify the sharks they harvest.

Please visit MyFWC.com to view shark identification information and other management information.

Haiti - "The world is coming to an end"

Take a minute today to consider the following video. Under the dust in this clip was Haiti's most populous city Port au Prince - 1,750,00. The young woman who shot the video just went through a magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

Haiti could use some help. The people of Haiti, already considered some of the poorest in the western hemisphere could also use your help. We donated this morning to a few of the charities listed. They have long track records and large humanitarian crews in Haiti with the best ability to get needed supplies and assistance to the country now.

You can help by adding your 5,10,20 to the cause.

We're shark conservationists, but we're also human too. Take some time out of your day to help those who really need it. We can get back to sharks next week.

Habitat for Humanity

Red Cross International

World Vision International