James Sulikowski sought by 'Press Herald' for opinion on recreational shark tagging
James Sulikowski, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Marine Sciences, was interviewed for an article in the July 24, 2015 issue of the Portland Press Herald on the controversial practice of recreational shark tagging.
After it became public knowledge that Marisa Butler, a Maine beauty pageant contestant, catches and tags sharks as a hobby, there has been discussion on whether participation in this activity should be considered a contribution to research or a potential danger to sharks.
Butler says that her shark tagging is part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program in which recreational anglers help to gather information about sharks. NOAA鈥檚 guidelines are very specific, however, regarding how sharks should be tagged, and some feel that Butler鈥檚 methods do not conform to these specifications.
Sulikowski told the Press Herald, 鈥淵ou have to have the best methods to ensure the survival of what you are tagging because, if you don鈥檛, all of that effort is going to waste鈥he NOAA tagging program is great and should continue. But what is being done along the beaches with sharks is what we need to look at in more detail to determine whether it is really worth the risk [to sharks].鈥