BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE019]
Schedules for Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe
Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public workshops.
SUMMARY: Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release,
and Identification Workshops will be held in July, August, and September of 2024.
Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory
requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification
Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe
Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and
operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also
been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be
conducted in 2024 and will be announced in a future notice. In addition, NMFS has
implemented online recertification workshops for persons who have already taken an inperson training.
DATES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held on August 22, 2024,
and September 12, 2024. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will
be held on July 10, 2024, August 2, 2024, and September 9, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held in Wilmington,
NC, and Virginia Beach, VA. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops
will be held in Ocean City, MD, Port St. Lucie, FL, and Kenner, LA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elsa Gutierrez by email at
elsa.gutierrez@noaa.gov or by phone at 301-427-8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS)
fisheries are managed under the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) and its amendments pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and consistent with the Atlantic Tunas
Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.). HMS implementing regulations are at 50 CFR
part 635. Section 635.8 describes the requirements for the Atlantic Shark Identification
Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops. The workshop
schedules, registration information, and a list of frequently asked questions regarding the
Atlantic Shark Identification and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification workshops
are available online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratoryspecies/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops and
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-releaseand-identification-workshops.
Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops
Since January 1, 2008, Atlantic shark dealers have been prohibited from
receiving, purchasing, trading, or bartering for Atlantic sharks unless a valid Atlantic
Shark Identification Workshop certificate is on the premises of each business listed under
the shark dealer permit that first receives Atlantic sharks (71 FR 58057, October 2, 2006).
Dealers who attend and successfully complete a workshop are issued a certificate for
each place of business that is permitted to receive sharks. These certificate(s) are valid for
3 years. Thus, certificates that were initially issued in 2021 will expire in 2024.
Currently, permitted dealers may send a proxy to an Atlantic Shark Identification
Workshop. However, if a dealer opts to send a proxy, the dealer must designate a proxy
for each place of business covered by the dealer’s permit that first receives Atlantic

sharks. Only one certificate will be issued to each proxy. A proxy must be a person who
is currently employed by a place of business covered by the dealer’s permit; is a primary
participant in the identification, weighing, and/or first receipt of fish as they are offloaded
from a vessel; and who fills out dealer reports. Atlantic shark dealers are prohibited from
renewing a Federal shark dealer permit unless a valid Atlantic Shark Identification
Workshop certificate for each business location that first receives Atlantic sharks has
been submitted with the permit renewal application. Additionally, a copy of a valid dealer
or proxy Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate must be in any trucks or other
conveyances that are extensions of a dealer’s place of business.
Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations
•

August 22, 2024, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. (local time), Wingate by Wyndham, 5126
Market Street/Bus 17, Wilmington, NC 28405.

•

September 12, 2024, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. (local time), Courtyard by Marriott
Virginia Beach Norfolk, 5700 Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.

Registration
To register for a scheduled Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop, please contact
Eric Sander at ericssharkguide@yahoo.com or at 386-852-8588. Pre-registration is highly
recommended, but not required.
Registration Materials
To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct permits, participants
will need to bring the following specific items to the workshop:
•

Atlantic shark dealer permit holders must bring proof that the attendee is an
owner or agent of the business (such as articles of incorporation), a copy of the
applicable permit, and proof of identification.

•

Atlantic shark dealer proxies must bring documentation from the permitted dealer
acknowledging that the proxy is attending the workshop on behalf of the

permitted Atlantic shark dealer for a specific business location, a copy of the
appropriate valid permit, and proof of identification.
Workshop Objectives
The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops are designed to reduce the number
of unknown and improperly identified sharks reported in the dealer reporting form and
increase the accuracy of species-specific dealer-reported information. Reducing the
number of unknown and improperly identified sharks will improve quota monitoring and
the data used in stock assessments. These workshops will train shark dealer permit
holders or their proxies to properly identify Atlantic shark carcasses.
Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops
Since January 1, 2007, shark limited access and swordfish limited access permit
holders who fish with longline or gillnet gear have been required to submit a copy of their
Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop certificate in order to renew either
permit (71 FR 58057, October 2, 2006). These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years.
Certificates issued in 2021 will expire in 2024. As such, vessel owners who have not
already attended a workshop and received a NMFS certificate, or vessel owners whose
certificate(s) will expire prior to the next permit renewal, must attend a workshop to fish
with, or renew, their swordfish and shark limited access permits. Additionally, new shark
and swordfish limited access permit applicants who intend to fish with longline or gillnet
gear must attend a Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop and submit a
copy of their workshop certificate before either of the permits will be issued.
In addition to vessel owners, at least one operator on board vessels issued a
limited access swordfish or shark permit that uses longline or gillnet gear is required to
attend a Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop and receive a certificate.
Vessels that have been issued a limited access swordfish or shark permit and that use
longline or gillnet gear may not fish unless both the vessel owner and operator have valid

workshop certificates on board at all times. Vessel operators who have not already
attended a workshop and received a NMFS certificate, or vessel operators whose
certificate(s) will expire prior to their next fishing trip, must attend a workshop to operate
a vessel with swordfish and shark limited access permits on which longline or gillnet gear
is used.
Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations
•

July 10, 2024, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. (local time), Residence Inn by Marriott, Ocean
City, 300 Seabay Lane, Ocean City, MD 21842.

•

August 2, 2024, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. (local time), Ocean Breeze Inn, Vero Beach, 3384
Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32963.

•

September 9, 2024, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. (local time), Hilton New Orleans Airport, 901
Airline Drive, Kenner, LA 70062.

Registration
To register for a scheduled Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop,
please contact Angler Conservation Education at 386-682-0158. Pre-registration is highly
recommended, but not required.
Registration Materials
To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct permits, participants
will need to bring the following specific items with them to the workshop:
•

Individual vessel owners must bring a copy of the appropriate swordfish and/or
shark permit(s), a copy of the vessel registration or documentation, and proof of
identification;

•

Representatives of a business-owned or co-owned vessel must bring proof that the
individual is an agent of the business (such as articles of incorporation), a copy of
the applicable swordfish and/or shark permit(s), and proof of identification; and

•

Vessel operators must bring proof of identification.

Workshop Objectives
The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops are designed to teach
the owner and operator of a vessel that fishes with longline or gillnet gear the required
techniques for the safe handling and release of entangled and/or hooked protected
species, such as sea turtles, marine mammals, smalltooth sawfish, Atlantic sturgeon, and
prohibited sharks. In an effort to improve reporting, the proper identification of protected
species and prohibited sharks will also be taught at these workshops. Additionally,
individuals attending these workshops will gain a better understanding of the
requirements for participating in these fisheries. The overall goal of these workshops is to
provide participants with the skills needed to reduce the mortality of protected species
and prohibited sharks, which may prevent additional regulations on these fisheries in the
future.
Online Recertification Workshops
NMFS implemented an online option for shark dealers and owners and operators
of vessels that fish with longline and gillnet gear to renew their certificates in December
2021. To be eligible for online recertification workshops, dealers and vessel owners and
operators need to have previously attended an in-person workshop. Information about the
courses is available online at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratoryspecies/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops and
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-releaseand-identification-workshops. To access the course please visit:
https://hmsworkshop.fisheries.noaa.gov/start.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 4, 2024.

Karen H. Abrams,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-12571 Filed: 6/6/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/7/2024]