Despite last year's improvements, there are still significant problems with the Federal Shark Plan. A coalition of shark fishing industry representatives, boat owners, and seafood dealers sued the Secretary of Commerce over the decision. The plaintiffs asked the court to set aside the 1997 large coastal shark quotas and award them costs and attorney fees. A hearing was held in Tampa last November. The coalition of environmental groups was represented by Earthlaw, a public interest law group based in Denver, Colorado, without charge.
Sharks are especially vulnerable to overfishing because they mature slowly.
The large coastal sharks, do not reach sexual maturity until 12 to 18 years of age. Due to a serious inadequacy in the federal shark plan, the 1997 excess was not subtracted from the 1998 large coastal shark quota, thereby threatening shark recovery efforts. The advisory panel for sharks and other migratory species meets in mid-March to discuss a long overdue rebuilding strategy for large coastal sharks, as mandated by the Sustainable Fisheries Act. The Center for Marine Conservation is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection, research, advocacy, and public education of marine conservation issues in the United States and world-wide. It seeks to protect ocean environments and conserve the global diversity of marine life.