The only shark derbies in Canada will resume in Nova Scotia next month and they’re expected to once again attract hundreds of anglers vying for the top prize in the annual events.
But some people are calling for the derbies to be cancelled, citing concerns about the long-term impacts on shark populations.
The derbies, which were cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are scrutinized closely by DFO officials. Scientists say they offer an important window into the status of the species.
“The data that we get from the tournaments is a small percentage of what goes into a stock assessment on the blue shark, but it is still an important component of it,” said DFO technician Warren Joyce.
DFO has been monitoring Nova Scotia’s shark derbies since they started in 1993.
Participants are only allowed to land blue sharks that are at least eight feet long. In 2019, a total of 77 blue sharks were caught and brought to shore in four such events around the province.
Species like the shortfin mako shark and porbeagle shark have been landed during past tournaments, but must now be released due to their designation as endangered species.
The sharks that are landed are not returned to the ocean. Scientists with various institutions take tissue samples from the fish for marine research.
The DFO requires each participant to log information about all sharks, whether they are released or not. This includes the length, sex, and species of shark, as well as where and how it was caught.
Joyce said more than 3,000 undersized sharks have been tagged since 2006 in effort to better understand the potential consequences of catch-and-release angling.
A handful of sharks that are brought back to land are also dissected by DFO officers.
Joyce calls the sharks that are killed a “small dent on the population” and said the deaths represent only about three per cent of the total Canadian fishing mortality for this species.
There are two DFO-licensed shark derbies taking place off the coast of Nova Scotia this year.
Both are on the South Shore and scheduled for August. Bob Gavel started the Yarmouth Shark Scramble in 1998.
Each year, hundreds of participants compete to catch the largest shark.
“Back when we started it was really big. We had 45 boats and over 200 participants,” he said. “In 2019 we had 15 vessels and 115 participants.”
The tournament has recently established a limit of three sharks per vessel.
Gavel said the tournament’s main function is to provide DFO science with information in regards to the blue shark.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” he said. “We are a fishing community here, we don’t feel we are hurting the population in any way, and we are providing a service for science.”
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