Overfishing is a problem across our oceans and especially in Massachusetts - years of overfishing depleted the very fishery that gave so Cape Cod its name.
The World Wildlife Fund says that 39% of fish stocks are overfished, and that includes sharks.
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In decades past, shore-based recreational fishing for sandbar sharks on Cape Cod rose in popularity to a point where the population suffered a dramatic loss in the 1980s and 1990s. That helped lead to strict local and federal laws protecting ocean life, which included requiring the release of species like the sandbar shark.
Putting fish back in the water may seem like a good way to keep populations from declining, but nothing in science is simple. Do sharks survive being caught and released, or do they soon die? That's what Dr. Jeff Kneebone, a research scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, is looking to find out.
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This summer, his team is wrapping up research into the effect that fishing has on this sandbar sharks, using a gadget jammed with tech.
In this week's episode of "Shark Tales," Kneebone talked about the research, his quest to bring data to business and, as a scientist, recreational fisherman and someone who has worked in commercial fisheries, how he's been trying to find ways to bring the worlds of science of fishing together.
Listen to our free podcast, "Shark Tales," which explores the world of sharks in New England with our partners at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. It's on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Love what you hear? Catch up on the first two seasons of "Shark Tales" featuring interviews with local and international shark experts on everything from jumping sharks to how they poop. Click here to subscribe on Apple podcasts, or episodes wherever listen to your podcasts.
