DFO shark survey to focus on endangered porbeagle – Anecdotal reports suggest population is on the rise

The federal Fisheries Department is preparing to go on a shark-catching expedition this summer. “I am very, very excited,” said Heather Bowlby, the principal investigator for the shark survey, which is set to begin in late June. “I think it’ll be a great learning opportunity, and I think it’ll be really fun.”  The department has put out a tender seeking bids from fishermen with tuna and swordfish licences who have the longline equipment necessary to catch the endangered porbeagle sharks the survey is concentrating on. Bowlby estimates the survey will take 40 to 45 days at sea as sharks are caught, tagged and returned to the ocean alive. The project has a $390,000 budget.,, The survey will take place at 60 stations in Atlantic Canadian waters between the Bay of Fundy and the Grand Banks. Between two and five vessels will do the work. Each vessel will have 600 hooks on longlines, which will be in the water for about four hours at a time. click here to read the story 10:09

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