Delray Beach's shark fishing laws serve as an example for surrounding cities

Last week, the Marine Advisory Board met in Boca Raton to address the new city ordinance that would outlaw shark fishing from their beaches. Boca's residents were mimicking a law that Delray Beach first put into place early last year.

The Delray Beach ordinance states that no one can, with heavy tackle, fish or chum from the beach for sharks. While there are a ton of obvious reasons that Delray didn't want fishermen pulling up sharks on it's beaches (bad P.R., safety, tourism) perhaps the most overlooked, worthwhile argument for stopping the fishing is conservation.

Last summer, just after Delray's ordinance passed, a pregnant, dead hammerhead washed up on shore during a very busy beach day. The shark had a J hook in it's mouth and had appeared to had died after a long struggle on hook and line. The fact of the matter is, sharks are horrible hook and line fish, they must swim to breath. The hammerhead had 35 dead pups inside of her.

Boca's ordinance is currently pending. But no shark fishing in Delray.