Crist asks for shark industry relief

Gov. Charlie Crist asked for federal disaster relief Friday to help Florida's shark fishing industry, which has been crippled by troubled stocks and regulatory restrictions.

Once a cheap alternative at seafood counters, shark has essentially disappeared from the commercial marketplace in recent years. Sharks are slow growing, bear only a few young at a time and are particularly susceptible to fishing pressure. This year, federal regulators have banned all shark fishing at least through August as they consider new quotas.

Shark fishing has always been a boutique industry, with Floridians holding half the permits for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic. Several dozen fishermen and a few seafood houses might have enough landings and sales to qualify for aid.

It will be an uphill battle. Disaster relief is allowed under federal law, but typically has applied to natural disasters, such as recent hurricanes that devastated Gulf of Mexico shrimp boats. The U.S. Commerce Department recently rejected a relief plea from the Northeast ground fishery, which has also been hobbled by overfishing and tighter regulations.

"We recognize that important details need to be addressed, including the amount of aid needed, how it would be administered and whether federal aid would be contingent on state matching dollars,'' Crist wrote to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. "However, because of the immediate impact occurring to Florida's commercial shark industry, we believe an important first step is to make a determination that this industry qualifies for federal fishery disaster relief."

- Stephen Nohlgren, Times staff writer