DATE: Thursday, April 3, 1997               TAG: 9704030438

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

DATELINE: WASHINGTON                        LENGTH:   63 lines

U.S. IMPOSES TIGHT CURBS ON SHARK FISHING OVERFISHING IS JEOPARDIZING THE SURVIVAL OF SOME SPECIES.

The federal government put tight restrictions Wednesday on shark fishing, saying overfishing is jeopardizing the survival of some species.

``Atlantic shark populations are at a precarious state and fishing pressure needs to be reduced,'' said Rebecca Lent, a senior official of the National Marine Fisheries Service, which imposed the new fishing quotas.

The restrictions go into effect immediately in waters stretching from the North Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico. Most sharks are caught in southern waters from the Carolinas to Florida as well as in parts of the gulf.

The agency, in a move that had been expected among fishermen and environmentalists, directed that commercial fishermen cut in half their annual catch of large coastal sharks to no more than 1,275 metric tons a year.

It also placed tighter limits on how many sharks recreational fishermen can catch, imposed new limits on fishing for small coastal sharks and banned all fishing for five species of shark considered particularly vulnerable, including the white shark made famous in movies.

The move was applauded by conservation groups, although environmentalists said a long-range shark management plan will be needed if the fish are to be protected.

``Unfortunately the serious depletion of these magnificent but vulnerable fish will take decades to repair,'' said Sonja Fordham, a shark specialist at the private Center for Marine Conservation. She said the new restrictions are long overdue.

All variety of sharks - there are about 400 species - have been a hot commodity for both commercial and recreational fishermen since the 1980s with millions of pounds hauled in annually for restaurants as well as trophy cases. Their carcasses are prized for their meat, fins, teeth and various parts that are used as a lubricant or in cosmetics and vitamins.

The large coastal sharks have been such a popular target of commercial fishermen that some species have declined by as much as 80 percent, conservationists say, although a good count of the shark population has been hard to come by.

Lent, chief of the fisheries service's high migratory species division, said new fishing restrictions were needed ``before they dwindle to a point where fishermen and the American public are left without this important resource.''

The new restrictions:

Limit commercial fishermen to 1,285 metric tons per year. Because the quota for half the year already has been exceeded, no fishing will be allowed after April 7 until July 1, the start of the year's second season.

Limit recreational fishermen, effective immediately, to two sharks per vessel per trip with the exception of the more abundant small coastal sharpnose shark, of which each fisherman can bag two. Previously each vessel could haul in four large shark and each fisherman five of the small species.

Establish annual commercial limits of 1,760 tons for small coastal sharks such as blacknose and bonnethead, so they do not become substitutes for the larger shark.

Ban direct fishing for five species - whale, basking, sand tiger, bigeye sand tiger, and white shark - which are considered extremely vulnerable.

The agency also said it would convene a panel of scientists, fishermen and environmentalists to develop a long-term shark management plan.

Marine conservationists say the government contributed to the problem by promoting sharks as an alternative to tuna and swordfish.

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