Fishing ban on shortfin mako sharks takes effect Tuesday

Hold the mako: A ban on landing or possessing shortfin mako sharks in the U.S. goes into effect Tuesday, under fishery management rules issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division.

The rule was made to be consistent with recommendations agreed upon last year by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, of which the United States is a member. NOAA has said the North Atlantic shortfin mako is overfished.

Commercial or recreational fishermen who catch a shortfin mako in Atlantic fisheries must release it, even if it’s dead, under the new rules. Dealers who buy or sell sharks or shark products also will be prohibited from landing or retaining shortfin makos. 

“The shortfin mako shark has long been a target of commercial fisheries and consumers due to its excellent taste, and to sport fishermen for its spectacular strength and leaping ability, with speeds reaching 50 MPH,” Jon Dodd, executive director of the Rhode Island-based Atlantic Shark Institute, said in a news release. “Unfortunately, those are the same issues that have resulted in the significant population decline of this iconic shark that required this complete and unprecedented closure.”

The shortfin mako, which swims along the Atlantic seaboard and is highly migratory, can grow up to 13 feet and live more than 30 years, according to NOAA.

Makos are no strangers to Long Island. A mako shark was spotted off the Town of Hempstead, near Point Lookout bridge, over Memorial Day weekend. The shark became stranded and died after being freed.