Last month saw two new publications come out of the Witman Lab, a productive November!

Jon Witman was co-author of a well-received manuscript published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences documenting global patterns in kelp forest change over the past half century. 
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Last month Witman Lab undergraduate Fiona Beltram joined members of the Rhode Island DEM at a public hearing to discuss revisions to RI Marine Fisheries regulations. Included on the agenda were proposed revisions to rules dealing with dusky smooth-hounds, a small (~48”) coastal shark. Current rules allow removal of smooth-hound fins in state waters, and do not set daily possession limits outside of a season quota.
 
The proposed update would allow fin removal only if smooth-hounds made up at least 25% of the total catch on board. Other shark species may be kept on board as long as the fins remain attached. 
 
Professor Caroline Karp and students in her International Marine Policy seminar attended the hearing to submit comments on these revisions. They recommended bans or restrictions on species of sharks which are listed as “protected” or “overfished” in federal law. These species, such as the porbeagle shark, can still be landed in RI waters. They also recommended a ban on shark fin possession, including smooth-hound fins. This would close a loophole that enables fins which are banned in Massachusetts to be sold in Rhode Island instead.