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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which regulates the U.S. fishing industry, was slow to recognize the threat to these great predators. But since 1993, to the dismay of the shark-fishing industry, the agency has put into effect an ever-stricter set of rules and restrictions.
A Grab Bag of Rules
It’s a complicated task. State laws usually govern the waters up to three miles from the shore; federal law takes over from there until the 200-mile limit, after which waters become international and largely unregulated. Unfortunately shark regulations vary considerably between state and federal rules, and also from state to state. The result is a complex web of rules with many loopholes. While commercial fishers must obey federal law at all times, those who fish only in state waters are constrained only by state laws--if any exist. Many sharks protected in federal waters are unprotected within the three-mile limit, though a number of states have risen to the challenge of managing the shark catch in their waters.
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