Researchers Seeking Recreational Anglers’ Shark Encounter Experiences

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AMHERST, Mass -– University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers are seeking saltwater anglers over the age of 18 to share their experiences with sharks while fishing. The survey welcomes submissions from all areas of North America, regardless of target species and involving any species of shark.  

“Whether you’re into deep sea fishing or fly-fishing on the flats, we want to hear from you. We want to hear from recreational charter captains and fishing guides as well as those who go out to fish in their free time. If you’re out on the water all of the time and have never seen a shark, if you lose fish multiple times a year to sharks, or if your experiences are somewhere in between, we want to know about it,” says Grace Casselberry, the PhD student conducting the research.

The survey, which takes about 10 minutes to complete, is open for six months, but submissions are encouraged as early as possible.

Casselberry began her research, along with fellow UMass Amherst graduate student Lucas Griffin, by tagging and tracking the movements of great hammerhead sharks and tarpon throughout the Florida Keys. After studying how often recreational anglers lose tarpon to sharks, and considering that shark-angler encounters are not limited to tarpon, Casselberry created this survey with UMass Amherst faculty Andy Danylchuk and Ezra Markowitz, as well as Greg Skomal, of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

“We are hoping to learn how often anglers are interacting with sharks, and if there are differences in how often interactions occur based on what species are being targeted or where people are fishing. The results will help inform future studies where we hope to work with anglers to minimize these interactions,” explains Casselberry.

Researchers hope to receive over 2,000 survey responses.