How Do I?
- Register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry?
- Find recreational fishing regulations?
- Report a marine mammal or sea turtle stranding?
- Apply for a fishing permit?
- Import/export fishery products?
- Find a Volunteer coastal restoration effort near me?
- Find a catch and landing information for commercial and recreational fisheries?
It’s always Shark Week for NOAA
NOAA Fisheries shark research
- Shark Abundance Studies
- Vessel Surveys and Tagging
- Shark Habitat Studies
- Satellite Pop-Up Tagging
- Thresher Shark Genetic Analyses
- Shark Demography & Population Dynamics
- Shark Food Habits
- Shark Ageing
- Pacific Council Activities
- Trophic Ecology
- Shark Biology
- Alaska Shark Research
Observer Program Shark Efforts
NOAA's fishery observer programs collect vital information for understanding the health of shark populations.
The Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, which first aired on July 27, 1987, is a week-long series of feature television programs dedicated to sharks. To continue this theme, we thought we’d assemble some of the many interesting shark stories, photos and activities of NOAA Fisheries.
A day in the life of a basking shark
Have you ever stopped to think about your daily routine? Maybe you start your day with a big breakfast, or a jog through the neighborhood. Most sharks have routines, too. But a basking shark’s day is anything but ordinary. More...
Releasing mako sharks: "there's an app for that"
NOAA Fisheries' Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division released today a new app for Andriod phones that allows anglers to share information about catching and releasing shortfin mako sharks. The "Release Mako" application was designed using Google App Inventor, and it is the very first federal government tool of its kind. More...
How to catch a shark
Have you ever caught a shark? While participating in shark research recently, NOAA Teacher at Sea participant Maureen Anderson had the opportunity. She explains how NOAA research vessels go about catching, tagging and releasing sharks. More... 
Foodies Beware: Shark finning is not allowed!
Some shark species are harvested in our commercial fisheries, under a suite of state and federal conservation and management measures. A key federal law prohibits the practice of "shark finning," where valuable shark fins are removed and the remainder of the shark is discarded at sea. In U.S. fisheries, sharks must be landed with their fins naturally attached to the rest of their body. Make an informed decision about what you eat, and read about the common thresher, shortfin mako, and spiny dogfish sharks on FishWatch.
Tagging Sharks
New Report Highlights 10 Years of Shark Migrations
A team of researchers, including scientists from the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, has published results from the Census of Marine Life's Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) project in the online version of the journal Nature. Many of these predators are sharks. The paper, "Tracking apex marine predator movements in a dynamic ocean",is the culmination of a 10-year electronic tagging study carried out under the TOPP program.
Video of Sharks Being Tagged
Watch a 20 minute video (opens in media player) showing exactly how scientists catch, tag, and release sharks for abundance studies safely!
NOAA Fisheries' Alaskan Auke Bay Research
NOAA is involved in a number of shark research projects in Alaska, many in cooperation with academic institutions. Projects with Pacific sleeper shark are focused on determining population size, migration patterns, and their trophic level. Scientists also focus on the reproduction, age and growth of the sleeper of the spiny dogfish. A multi-year tagging study of spiny dogfish is underway. More...
