NOAA Wants to Kill More Sharks — and We have until May 29th, 2026 to fight it!
Under NOAA’s “preferred option,” recreational fishermen could go from killing just ONE shark per vessel to 3, 4, or even 5 sharks depending on the species. At the same time, commercial limits on blacknose sharks could skyrocket from 8 to as many as 60 sharks — while new size regulations may allow juvenile sharks to be legally caught and killed before they ever have a chance to reproduce.
Scientists and conservation organizations are sounding the alarm. Yet many of the public comments NOAA has received so far are from people claiming sharks are “overpopulated” and should be wiped out. These proposed rules would hand them exactly that opportunity.
Sharks are not villains. They are apex predators essential to the health and balance of our oceans. Decimating their populations for sport and profit is reckless, short-sighted, and ecologically dangerous.
WE HAVE JUST TEN DAYS to fight back.
Please take a moment to submit a public comment and tell NOAA that the public will not stay silent while our sharks are slaughtered.
Click the button to speak for our beloved Sharks. Every voice matters.
Template below on what to write:
Please do not increase catch limits for any shark species. I strongly oppose flexible recreational retention limits and urge NOAA to support alternative D1, to maintain existing limits for Atlantic sharks. More than half of the populations proposed for potential catch increases have never been assessed by NOAA. More than two thirds of shark species permitted for take in the Atlantic are internationally recognized threatened species on the IUCN redlist.
Furthermore, I oppose increasing commercial catch limits for blacknose sharks and urge NOAA to support alternative C1, maintaining existing limits. Available assessments show blacknose sharks are heavily depleted and have only just begun to recover.
The rebuilding of our Atlantic shark populations will take decades and has only just begun. I urge the National Marine Fisheries Service and broader NOAA leadership to seek solutions to shark/fishery conflicts that do not compromise rebuilding plans, keeping in mind that the steady increase in recreational fishing pressure and depletion of sharks’ prey cannot be ignored as a factor.
