Partnering with Recreational Anglers to Characterize the Texas Shore-based Shark Fishery

Principal Investigator
Kesley Banks, Ph.D.
Research
Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation

The overall goal of this project is to provide insight on the shore-based recreational shark fishery in Texas, including characterizing species and size trends of sharks over time as well as exploring factors influencing the decision to harvest or release sharks caught in shore-based recreational shark fishery.

This study has the following objectives:

  • Characterize species and size composition of sharks caught in the shore-based recreational shark fishery.
  • Determine landing locations of sharks caught by recreational anglers.
  • Explore the harvest utilization and motivation by recreational anglers.

This project will use cooperative relationships previously established in 2014 with TSR and recreational anglers participating in HRI's Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation's (CSSC) Shark Tagging program, which began in 2008. TSR is an annual 9-month long (March to December) shore-based shark fishing tournament advocating for catch-photo-release with an “emphasis on tagging and collecting data for the conservation of sharks” (texassharkrodeo.com). Anglers participating in the CSSC Shark Tagging program tag year-round and submit data outside of the tournament directly to the CSSC via our website.