All shark fishermen in the USA are required to have both a State and Federal permit to handle and tag protected species.
The most important aspect of shark fishing is shark identification. Landing or mishandling the wrong species of shark can land a fisherman in serious trouble.
A good rule of thumb is “if you don’t know, let it go”. If fishing from a boat three nautical miles from shore or greater, the vessel is required to possess a Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Permit with a shark endorsement, and the use of non-offset, non-stainless hooks are required when bait fishing for sharks under this permit. This permit is not required for those fishing within three miles of the beach.
The patrols conducted by NJDEP Conservation officers have recently resulted in multiple summonses for taking of a prohibited species and failure to register for the saltwater registry program and all cases involving the taking of prohibited shark species are forwarded to the National Marine Fisheries Service for additional enforcement action.
