In Reply to: 10FT, 750LB Mako caught in Santa Monica bay posted by Ross-O on August 19, 2006 at 22:18:58:

probably about the same time that they realize it's not cool to order them in restauants, and long before they figure out what bycatch is.

Last year I could find statistics for is 1999:

137,374 pounds of mako landed commercially, worth $109,693 off the boat. I can't find how many mako 137,374 pounds is. This is also only sharks actually landed, brought back to dock for sale - small ones may have been discarded as worthless, sharks of any size may be discarded as bycatch by boats that have caught them but can't process them.

http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/fmd/bill/land99.htm

graph of landing weights by year at the next link, it was dropping in 1999. Peaked at about 600,000 pounds in the late 80's. Prior to 1977, weights of shark species landed were not kept by species.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/Mrd/status/shortfin_mako_shark.pdf

article on study of makos as bycatch of the socal drift gillnet fishery (gillnets are used for threshers and swordfish, makos and blues are bycatch).

http://www-csgc.ucsd.edu/STORIES/STORIES_PDF/WebGraham.pdf

The really peachy news, if you like sharks, is that the PFMC has approved a couple of experimental permits for a longline boat and a driftnet boat in areas formerly closed to them, to show that a longline is a good method of take for some species, and to see if the driftnet can be used in an area formerly closed to them due to the presence of leatherbacks.

http://www.pcouncil.org/decisions/0306decisions.html#highly

Drift Gillnet Management

The Council adopted a recommendation to NMFS to authorize an exempted fishing permit (EFP) that would allow drift gillnet fishing in the current August 15-November 15 closed area. The EFP fishery would be governed by several requirements for all vessels, including, to carry an observer; to limit total fishing effort in the EFP fishery to 300 sets; to immediately cease the EFP fishery if, and when, two leatherback sea turtles were encountered by the fishing gear; and to immediately cease the EFP fishery if one mortality or serious injury occurred to any of the following marine mammals: short-finned pilot whale, sperm whale, fin whale, gray whale, humpback whale, or minke whale.

Exempted Fishing Permit Applications for Highly Migratory Species

The Council approved the EFP proposal for a drift gillnet fishery as part of the preferred alternative selected as described under the drift gillnet management agenda item.

The Council considered a second EFP proposed to allow one vessel to use longline gear in the West Coast EEZ, which is prohibited under the highly migratory species (HMS) fishery management plan.

The Council preliminarily approved the EFP application and directed the Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) to prepare an environmental assessment for Council final consideration at a later meeting. If finally approved, the EFP would occur in 2007.