FantasticSearch

1. Safety first: These minimum standards shall be considered in light of the safety of and practicability for crew members. The safety of crew members shall always come first. As a minimum, crew members shall wear suitable gloves and avoid working near the mouths of sharks.

2. Training: Training materials are available to Member States in the three ICCAT official languages.

3. Method of release: To the greatest extent practicable, all sharks being released shall remain in the water at all times unless it is necessary to lift sharks for species identification. This includes cutting the line to free the shark while it is still in the water, using bolt cutters or dehooking devices to remove the hook if possible, or cutting the line as close to the hook as possible (leaving as little trailing line as possible).

4. Be prepared: Tools shall be prepared in advance (e.g. canvas or net slings, stretchers for carrying or lifting, large mesh net or grid to cover hatches or hoppers in purse seine fisheries and long handled cutters and de-hookers in longline fisheries, listed under Section E). A. General recommendations for all fisheries 1. If operationally safe to do so, stop the vessel or have its speed substantially reduced.

2. When the shark is entangled (in netting, fishing line, etc.), if safe to do so, carefully cut the net or line free from the shark and release it to the sea as quickly as possible with no entanglements attached.

3. Where feasible, and while keeping the shark in the water, try to measure the length of the shark.

4. To prevent bites, place an object, such as a fish or big stick or wooden pole, in the jaw.

5. If, for whatever reason, a shark must be brought on the deck, then minimise the time it takes to return it to the water to increase its chance of survival and reduce risks to the crew members. B. Longline fisheries specific safe handling practices 1. Bring the shark as close to the vessel as possible without putting too much tension on the branchline to avoid the possibility that a released hook or branchline break could shoot hook, weights and other parts toward the vessels and crew members at high speed.

2. Secure the far side of the longline mainline to the boat so that no gear remaining in the water pulls on the line and the shark.

3. If hooked, and the hook is visible in the body or mouth, use a dehooking device or long-handled bolt cutter to remove the hook barb, and then remove the hook.

4. If it is not possible to remove the hook or the hook cannot be seen, cut the line of the trace (or snood, leader) as close to the hook as possible (ideally leaving as little line and/or leader material as possible and no weights attached to the shark).

1. If in purse seine: Scan the net as far ahead as possible to spot any sharks early so as to react quickly. Avoid lifting the sharks up in the net towards the power block. Reduce vessel speed to slacken the tension of the net and allow the entangled shark to be removed from the net. If necessary, use clippers to cut the net.

2. If in brail or on deck: Use a purpose-built large-mesh cargo net or canvas sling or similar device. If the vessel layout allows, the sharks could also be released by emptying the brail directly onto a hopper and release ramp held up at an angle that connects to an opening on the top deck railing, without need to be lifted or handled by the crew members. D. Specific recommendations and safe handling practices for all fisheries 1. To the greatest extent practicable, do not lift sharks from the water using the branchline, especially if hooked, unless it is necessary to lift sharks for species identification.

2. Do not lift sharks using thin wires or cables, or by the tail alone.

3. Do not strike a shark against any surface, for example to remove the animal from the line.

4. Do not attempt to dislodge any hook that is deeply ingested and not visible.

5. Do not try to remove a hook by pulling sharply on the branchline.

6. Do not cut the tail or any other body part.

7. Do not cut or punch holes in the shark.

8. Do not gaff or kick a shark, or insert hands into the gill slits.

9. Do not expose the shark to the sun for extended periods.

10. Do not wrap your fingers, hands or arms in the line when bringing a shark to the boat (could result in serious injury). E. Useful tools for safe handling and release:

(a) gloves (shark skin is rough; ensures safe handling of shark and protects crew members’ hands from bites);

(b) towel or cloth (a towel or cloth soaked in seawater can be placed on the eyes of the shark to calm shark down);

(c) dehooking devices (e.g. pig tail dehooker, bolt or plier cutters);

(d) shark harness or stretcher (if needed);

(e) tail rope (to secure a hooked shark if it needs to be removed from the water);

(f) saltwater hose (if anticipated that it may require more than 5 minutes to release a shark, then place a hose into its mouth so seawater flows into it at a moderate rate; make sure deck pump has been running several minutes before placing it in a sharks mouth);

(g) measuring device or method (e.g. mark a pole, leader and float, or a measuring tape);

(h) data sheet for recording all catch;

(i) tagging gear (if applicable).