Fishermen Must Attend Free Shark School This Summer
Published Date: 6/9/2026
Notice
Summary
If you’re a fisherman or shark dealer with a federal permit, you’ve got to attend free workshops this summer and fall to keep your permits valid. These workshops teach how to identify sharks and safely handle protected species, with in-person sessions in July, August, and September plus new online recertification options. No fees, just important dates and locations to remember so you stay on the right side of the rules!
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Shark dealers must hold ID certificates
If you are a federally permitted Atlantic shark dealer, you must have a valid Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate at each business location that first receives sharks to renew your federal shark dealer permit. Certificates are valid for 3 years (certificates issued in 2023 expire in 2026); workshops are scheduled July 13, 2026 (Dania Beach, FL) and September 2, 2026 (Manahawkin, NJ), and a copy of a valid certificate must be kept at business locations and in any trucks or conveyances that are extensions of the dealer’s business.
Vessel owners/operators must be certified
If you are a vessel owner or operator using bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear and you hold a shark or swordfish limited access permit, you (and at least one operator) must have a valid Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop certificate to be issued or to renew those permits. Certificates are valid for 3 years (2023 certificates expire in 2026); workshops are scheduled July 1, 2026 (Ocean City, MD), August 17, 2026 (Vero Beach, FL), and September 16, 2026 (Kenner, LA), and vessels may not fish with those permits unless both owner and operator have valid certificates on board at all times.
Online recertification option available
NMFS offers free online recertification workshops for shark dealers and vessel owners/operators who previously attended an in-person workshop; the online option has been available since December 2021 and can be accessed at https://hmsworkshop.fisheries.noaa.gov/start. To be eligible for online recertification you must have previously completed an in-person training.
Dealers may send a proxy with limits
Permitted Atlantic shark dealers may send a proxy to an Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop, but the dealer must designate a proxy for each business location that first receives sharks and each proxy receives only one certificate. A proxy must be employed at that business location, be a primary participant in identification/weighing/first receipt of fish, and fill out dealer reports.
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