Jacksonville fishermen worried about possible changes to shore-based shark fishing

Changes could be coming to Florida's shark fishing rules in order to help shark conservation, but some Jacksonville fishermen are worried stricter regulations could ruin their hobby.

While sharks are top predators in the ocean, they can sometimes become the prey for people, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission wants to crack down on shore-based shark fishing to help in their conservation efforts.

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FWC said that shore-based fishing has become more popular thanks to social media and it's putting sharks ar risk for becoming overfished.

But local fisherman are worried they're not going to be able to fish from their favorite spots.

"I like the pier. I like fishing off the pier. It's better for me," said local fisherman Kevin Newberry.

Suggested rule changes include creating a special shore license for shore-based shark fishing, stricter requirements on handling sharks, and possible restrictions on the type of fishing gear used.

"As long as they're reasonable and they ain't hurting the fisherman's game of fishing, it'll be all right," said Newberry.

The FWC will have draft rules presented at a future commission meeting.

Cox Media Group