With shark sightings and attacks on the rise, an effort is under way in Montauk, N.Y., to understand one of the ocean’s most mysterious creatures.
NOAA Fisheries is in charge of managing the health of the marine resources that live as much as 200 miles off the U.S. coast. The most critical resources available for making these management decisions — such as catch and weight limits for fishermen — are data that NOAA’s many offices compile.
Tournaments provide a way for recreational fishermen and NOAA Fisheries to interact and learn from each other about species and species management.
At the second annual Shark’s Eye Tournament, which was held July 12-13 off Montauk, a village at the end of Long Island’s South Fork, fishermen enjoy the added benefit of getting to name any fish they catch that ends up in the electronic tagging program.
The tournament is strictly catch-and-release with an integrated science component.
NBC’s “Today,” as part of its “Shark Week” special, sent a reporter to the tournament for a report on sharks along the Eastern Seaboard.
