Some people love them.

They're beautiful and amazing.

They're one of the coolest things in the ocean.

Some people fear them.

Terrifying, absolutely terrifying.

But one thing is for certain, sharks have
long captured the imagination of people around

the world.

Decades of negative media coverage focused
primarily on shark attacks have given the

animals a bad reputation, but a growing understanding
of their vital role in the ecosystem, combined

with a new focus on safe encounters have begun
to change their image.

We ve gone through this really big shift.

I need to get rid of the sharks to I need
to save the sharks.

Despite increased protections of sharks, many
populations are still threatened, and some

experts say it s not just commercial exploitation
that is having an impact.

Recreational fishing could sometimes go under
the radar because it's thought it s really

small scale and negligible because it's just
one person with a rod and one hook as compared

to commercial fishing where a single boat
can have thousands of hooks.

But if you have millions of people with one
hook, you can still have a big impact.

Shark fishing from beaches, piers, and bridges
is an increasingly popular activity in parts

of the United States and scientists are finding
that despite good intentions, catch and release

doesn t guarantee the fish survives.

If the sharks are actually dying after release,
we may be looking at a bigger impact than

the commercial fisheries on shark populations
in the United States.

To learn more, scientists in Florida are working
closely with recreational anglers.

The first thing we have in mind is the safety
of the animal we're catching.

It's a sport for us.

That sport is not complete unless we have
the safe release of the animal.

Most anglers care about sharks, just as much
as a marine scientist just in maybe a slightly

different way.

But all of us have to work together in order
to save these animals.

What impact does land-based fishing have on
Florida s shark populations?

And how are scientists and anglers working
together to protect these awe-inspiring animals

from extinction?

Major funding for this program was provided
by The Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people

to preserve and protect America's underwater
resources.

Additional funding was provided in loving
memory of David G. Perrot, by the Perrot Family

Endowment for Environmental Education.

Dr. Neil Hammerschlag leads the Shark Research
and Conservation Program at

the University of Miami Rosenstiel School.

In 2011, Neil and his students began investigating
the impact of recreational angling on coastal

species such as nurse, tiger, and great hammerhead
sharks.

Florida is actually a recreational shark fishing
hotspot.

And many of these sharks are actually released
because they're not intended to be eaten.

The
scientists wanted to find out why these seemingly

powerful animals sometimes die after being
released.

So our team use a variety of different techniques
to figure out the behavioral and physiological

responses to sharks, to being captured on
a line.

To catch the sharks, the experts set baited
lines that remained in the water for one hour,

just enough time to attract sharks without
subjecting the animals to additional stress.

We would on our lines deploy hook timers that
measure how long a shark was on the line once

it bit the hook.

The other thing we would do is we deployed
something called an accelerometer on the lines

themselves.

The accelerometer measured the frequency and
intensity of force a shark exerts on the line.

So when a shark bit the line, not only we
know how long the shark is on the line, but

how hard they were fighting by using the accelerometer.

When the shark was brought to the boat, we'd
quickly take a blood sample and what we'd

be looking for in their blood is various metrics
that were associated with stress, this included

glucose and lactate.

Glucose is actually telling us if sharks are
mobilizing or breaking down energy stores

into their blood to use it to fuel activity.

Lactate is similar to when humans produce
lactic acid in their blood, which would give

you like a stitch if you run too fast or you
can t get enough oxygen to your blood when

you re exercising.

Increased levels of lactate indicate that
an animal is exerting itself and not getting

enough oxygen.

The researchers also recorded the behavior
of the shark.

Did they look tired?

Were they biting down on the hose really hard?

We also check their reflexes.

Mostly sharks we work with have actually something
called a nictitating membrane.

When they feel pressure towards the eye, it
lifts up to protect their eye.

And what we would do is actually squirt a
little bit of water in the shark s eye.

And what we found is that in some cases, sharks
that were very stressed actually did not raise

that membrane.

Also once they were released back in the water
what was their disposition?

Did they swim up hard and vigorous, or were
they swimming slowly?

Was it hard for them to maintain balance and
orientation?

The experts discovered that not all species
of sharks react equally to being hooked on

a line.

For example, on one extreme, you have the
nurse shark.

When a nurse shark bit a line, it would pretty
much just relax and sit on the bottom.

Didn't show any disruptions in their behavior
or their physiology.

On the other extreme, you have the great hammerhead
shark.

When they bit a line, they would go crazy.

In the middle, you have the black tip shark.

Where when a black tip bit a line, it would
fight really hard.

And then when it tired, it would relax until
it regained its strength.

And then it would fight a little hard again,
and then it would relax.

What we found out is that sharks that were
fighting really, really hard, like the great

hammerhead, had high levels of lactate in
their blood, essentially their blood is becoming

acidic.

They also showed more like an impairment in
terms of balance and orientation after release

and these are the animals that exhibited post-release
mortality.

Satellite tags used to record the movement
of the sharks after being released revealed

if the fish survived.

Our tracking work has shown us that these
animals might die usually within the first

two hours after release, but sometimes, up
to 10 days or more after that encounter.

These findings are significant given the population
status of various species.

While nurse and blacktip sharks are still
relatively abundant, great hammerheads are

listed as critically endangered on the International
Union for Conservation of Nature s Red List.

This is showing us that some species might
make for good candidates for catch and release

fishing.

And some species are not good candidates for
catch release fishing.

Up the coast in Palm Beach County, President
of the American Shark Conservancy Hannah Medd

is working directly with the angling community
to understand the impacts of shore-based fishing

on great hammerhead sharks.

We were approached by a few members of the
public when they had come across dead sharks

on the beach and they had a lot of questions.

There was a few guesses.

And one of them was that they had died from
being caught and handled by shore based shark

fishermen.

And it happened to coincide when a tournament
was happening that incentivized anglers to

catch the largest hammerhead.

We started to kind of ask a lot of questions
about shore-based shark fishing and realized

there weren't a lot of answers.

Hannah reached out to the angling community
to partner on the research.

We were very nervous in like contacting these
anglers.

I feel like they were really cautious about
working with scientists and, you know, definitely

were a little defensive.

So we really wanted to make sure they knew
this was a scientific study that we were very

neutral and immediately, they were like, yeah,
sure, come see what we do.

And from there, it's just sort of been word
of mouth.

I just think sharks in general are awesome.

Especially as a kid seeing sharks for the
first time you become obsessed with them.

I've caught every range of big game fish out
there.

And when you're talking about hooking a potentially
a thousand-pound shark from the beach, it's

much different than the boat.

Uh it's you it's solely you versus what's
on the other end of that line.

And it can be very humbling.

I think that's what gets it for a lot of people
is, um, just feeling that powerless situation

where you're attached to something that's
much, much, much stronger than you.

Dan and Kaytlin are two of more than 50 anglers
Hannah collaborates with.

We'll have the rod and reel anchored to the
beach in a PVC pipe.

And we'll use the kayak to bring out the bait.

And then we just kind of lounge around waiting
for a bite.

Once we get a bite, you'll hear a really loud
screeching noise.

[reel screeching]

We get into the harness, buckle up, cross
our fingers and just start cranking.

And you'll fight the shark to the beach..You
have everyone with an assigned role.

You either cut the hook out dehook it, get
the shark oriented so it's not rolling around

getting beat up.

Hannah records the length of the fight time
- from when the reel goes off until the anglers

have their hands on the shark.

Then from the time they have their hands on
the shark to when they release it is considered

handling time.

So those are the two main factors that we're
looking at correlating with the fate of the

shark.

The team works as quickly and safely as possible
to collect data.

In the case of hammerheads, Hannah also attaches
satellite tags on the animals to see if they

survive after having been caught.

One of the things I've learned more with working
with Hannah is the great hammerheads themselves,

um, and how they deal with stress.

And so the fact that sometimes they get stressed
a little more easy, just kind of blew my mind

that something that big and crazy powerful
can, can get hurt from being stressed.

So it kinda made me want to learn more about
this research project to hopefully make us

better anglers.

And just to try to spread the word around
the community.

I fear a lot of people will see videos of
shark fishing and say, oh, I can do that .

And come out here, not completely equipped
to handle what could happen and people get

hurt, sharks don't live.

It s not just taking that awesome picture
on the beach with a huge animal.

It's making sure that everything's done properly.

In addition to the field work, Hannah and
her research partner Jill Brooks sent surveys

to over 14-thousand shore-based shark anglers
to analyze their motivations, fishing practices,

and economic impact.

So the majority of the respondents said that
they practice catch and release.

They very, very rarely keep the sharks.

Um, and it will obviously depend on the shark
that they catch.

So there are some that they're legally able
to harvest, um, but it is limited.

Sometimes smaller sharks are actually used
as bait to catch larger sharks.

The study found that the fishery has grown
in popularity since 2010.

Anglers are catching tens of thousands of
sharks, and the activity is likely contributing

tens of millions of dollars to the state s
economy both figures that surprised the

scientists.

The surveys also revealed that the majority
of anglers expressed an interest in learning

how to increase shark survival.

We've gotten pushback from people in the conservation
community that are horrified that we're working

with anglers.

But we just stick to the point, it's happening.

They're fishing, whether we want them to or
not.

And this information is not going to get collected
on its own.

But so what size hook is it?

A 10/0.

Ok.

When we say, okay, scientists are going to
go find out things about shark populations,

and then they're going to tell anglers what
to do it's not a model that works well.

Standing by for anchor when you re ready.

Dr. Catherine Macdonald heads the Miami-based
Field School and is a lecturer at the University

of Miami Rosenstiel School specializing in
shark ecology and conservation.

Engaging anglers in the regulatory process
is one of the best ways to ensure that they

feel heard.

And they understand why the rules are being
made the way they are and perceive them as

reasonable and legitimate.

Collaborative community-based management is
vital to develop conservation solutions that

actually work.

Uh, thanks for being here tonight.

Appreciate y all joining us.

In 2018 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission, or FWC, held a series of public

meetings online and in person on pending regulations
for land-based shark fishing.

Landing in legal definition is as she said
reduced to harvest.

The online comments were much more polarized.

And then when you brought people together
to discuss this, the shared value that they

place on healthy shark populations was much
clearer.

And in general, even where they disagreed
either about the science or about the values

and regulations that should follow from those
values they were much less likely to kind

of try to demonize each other.

They were much more willing to acknowledge
that the other side might also have a point.

If you re chumming, you re feeding in
the argument.

You re attracting sharks toward the beach.

So that overall hurts our purpose more than
it helps.

I spoke at a lot of those meetings that FWC
was having.

There's guys that have been shark fishing
from land for several years that all showed

up to these meetings to give their input because
it makes a big difference how you catch these

sharks.

The meetings resulted in new FWC regulations
put into place in 2019, which require a free

permit to fish for sharks from shore.

So it's, in addition to your saltwater fishing
license, you have to go through a short course

about shore-based shark fishing, identifying
sharks, what the new regulations look like,

and some good tips and insights into what
equipment to have with you.

Hammerheads, tiger sharks, lemon sharks, they're
all on the prohibited species list and must

remain with their gills covered in the water.

There is a line in the regulations that basically
says angler safety sort of supersedes any

of the other regulations.

Some consider that a loophole.

Having been out there, I do consider it a
safety measure.

The regulations also require the use of specific
types of gear that will increase the sharks

survival.

You need to be using circle hooks.

Sharks swallow their food whole.

So if it takes the whole bait as that's coming
out of, it's a digestive tract.

If it's a J hook it'll hook on the stomach,
on the throat, in the gills.

If it's a circle hook, it will hook in the
jaw right in the side of the mouth.

So it's easy to cut out, much easier for the
animal to recover from that.

You need to have gear on hand to remove those
hooks.

Additionally, the anglers must use non-stainless
steel hooks.

So things that are meant to rust out.

So if you can't remove your gear, for some
reason, that that will disintegrate in the

ocean much faster than stainless steel.

All of those are really great measures.

So we're not getting rid of shark fishing,
but we are making it so that if it's happening,

we're not doing damage, we're releasing those
animals in better condition.

Along with the new regulations, the experts
believe educational outreach on best practices

will increase the fish s post-release survival
rates.

Of the 14 great hammerhead sharks Hannah tagged
as of February 2021 while working with responsible

anglers, only one died after being released.

Jill and Hannah s research shows that with
the appropriate gear and experience, along

with shorter fight and handling times, shore-based
shark fishing may not be as detrimental to

great hammerheads as previously thought.

The unintentional negative effects of recreational
angling not only harm sharks, but also their

close relatives, the manta rays.

So manta rays are the largest rays in the
ocean.

They're large filter feeding rays.

And they're distinguishable by the two fins
on the side of their head, which are known

as cephalic fins.

Founder of the Marine Megafauna Foundation s
Florida Manta Project Jessica Pate is the

first to study the elusive manta rays in southeastern
Florida.

Jessica discovered the region is a potential
manta ray nursery, but one that is threatened

by human activity.

In 2018 in the United States, manta rays were
listed under the endangered species act as

a threatened species.

And it's illegal to capture them in Florida.

But despite these new protections, the charismatic
animals are still feeling an impact.

Over a quarter of the mantas Jessica has surveyed
are entangled in fishing line.

Recreational fishing can have a lot of different
impacts on manta rays.

We see manta rays with hooks in their skin.

Depending on how much line is there, the manta
rays, when they feed, will do this barrel

rolling technique and the line gets wrapped
around their body when they do that.

I've also seen it wrapped around their cephalic
fin.

One of the manta rays we saw last year, it
was a female who had fishing line wrapped

around her cephalic fin.

We saw her again this year and that cephalic
fin is gone.

So this is gonna affect her ability to feed.

To increase awareness, Jessica is collaborating
with the Field School s Dr. Julia Wester.

We surveyed 200 recreational fishermen at
popular fishing piers and inlet jetties in

Palm Beach County.

We found very few people would want to target
a manta ray.

A couple of people expressed interest in wanting
to fight one, just because it's something

big and exciting, but in general, most people
realize that it's going to take their fishing

gear or they thought they were really cool
and beautiful and just wanted to let them

pass.

Only about half of them could identify a manta
ray.

They can more easily identify it when looking
at a picture under water versus looking at

a picture from the top.

Cause of the things on its face is how I can
tell.

The overwhelming majority of them thought
that if manta rays are endangered and in need

of protection, that we should protect them,
that they should be conserved and that the

environment is important.

So what that tells me is this is a group that
has the same values that I do about conserving

the ocean.

We just need to make sure that they have the
right tools and the right information to act

on those values.

And the best way to do that is to not treat
them like they're the bad guys in this story,

because there are no bad guys in the story.

There's just us.

Using the data gathered from the surveys,
the experts designed educational signs to

post at piers in Palm Beach County.

These signs include information on what gear
to use, how to identify a manta, and how to

report a sighting to the Florida Manta Project.

We will be doing a follow up survey to see
if these signs are effective.

So we'll go back and ask the fishermen the
same question and see if their knowledge has

increased because before the vast majority
of fishermen didn't know that manta rays were

endangered, that they were a protected species
in Florida or anything about them really.

And we'll also quantify the amount of fishing
line we see on the manta rays and see if that's

actually changing and we're noticing an effect
and hopefully we'll see a reduction of fishing

line interactions on the young manta rays.

I hope that manta rays, being the unique animals
they are will make people look at fish a little

bit differently.

Recreational fishing is just one of many activities
threatening the survival of sharks and rays.

While their motivations may differ, the scientists
and anglers involved in the research agree

that working together is key to the long-term
survival of the species they all love.

At first I had a pretty, you know, single-minded,
uh, perspective of shark fishing.

I definitely didn't like it.

I didn't want to see it, but once I realized
it was legal and we didn't know that much

about it, I kind of set that aside.

And it definitely shattered some misperceptions
I had about shark fishing.

I think conservation is one of the most important
things we can do.

As a fisherman in general, you need to take
care of your source.

I want my kids, my grandkids, I want them
to be able to do this.

The narrative that it's these bad fishermen
or these bad anglers that are the problem

for sharks is not only not true because they
are a potentially really important ally for

us in trying to protect our natural resources
in Florida.

But also if you think that the problem is
somebody else, then you don't look at your

own impacts.

And really it's all of us.

It's everything.

It's water quality.

It's restoring ecosystems.

It's climate change.

It's all of it together that's going to get
it done.