Each boat also could bring in one shark of any other species, and must bring in the entire shark. The shark regulations have not yet been placed in effect. Kleiber said Hawai ' i's longliners, although fishing specifically for tuna and swordfish, hook about 100,000 blue sharks each year. About half are released. Crew members take the fins from many sharks brought aboard dead, and boat policy generally allows the crew members to market the fins themselves for additional income.
Anglers say live sharks are generally released.
Some live sharks are killed so crews can safely recover valuable fishing gear. The council set the 50,000 shark figure after the National Marine Fisheries Service assessed the fishery and determined it would not threaten blue shark populations. Kleiber's figures indicate oceanic blue sharks in the Pacific actually are increasing in number despite being caught by Hawai ' i longliners and those from other nations. They are sufficiently rare near coastal areas that they have no known Hawaiian name. They eat squid, as do tuna and swordfish, which is one reason they are caught in the same regions as those fish.