Nova Scotia shark fishing derbies are coming to an end after 30 years.
The move comes after Fisheries and Oceans Canada introduced new rules and regulations. Historically, Fisheries and Oceans Canada issued scientific licenses to the derbies so that the fish could be studied after they were caught.
Now, to be eligible for a license, the organizers must show that all the meat caught will be used for human consumption or that an organization wants to research the caught individuals. Either of these criteria will be almost impossible to achieve, resulting in the end of the shark fishing derbies.
Due to conservation reasons, participants have only been able to catch blue sharks since 2018, while historically, they could land other species like porbeagle, common thresher and shortfin Mako. Since the tournaments started in 1993, 4,266 sharks have been landed from the waters in and around Nova Scotia.
