Florida prohibits harvesting of oceanic whitetip sharks in state waters

Florida officials on Tuesday added oceanic whitetip sharks to the list of shark species prohibited from being harvested or harmed in state waters.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s action brings the state in line with federal regulations protecting the migratory species, which has a distinctive pattern of mottled white markings on the tips of dorsal, pectoral, and tail fins.

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NOAA Fisheries earlier this year prohibited the commercial and recreational harvest of oceanic whitetip sharks in U.S. waters of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean, according to a memo sent to the commission this month by Jessica McCawley, the state director of Marine Fisheries Management.

Oceanic whitetip sharks are listed as threatened by federal officials, and are among more than two-dozen other shark species also protected under state law.