A multifaceted citizen-science approach for characterizing shark depredation in Florida’s recreational fisheries

Abstract Depredation (i.e. partial removal of target catch prior to retrieval) caused by sharks is a prevalent issue affecting several fisheries in the southeastern USA. While US fisheries managers have begun monitoring shark depredation in commercial fisheries, there have been few attempts to quantify these interactions in the recreational fishing sector. To address this knowledge gap, we initiated a citizen-science-based project to provide an in-depth characterization of shark depredation in Florida’s recreational fisheries. This was done via multiple approaches, including social media content analysis, online angler surveys, and cooperative fishery-dependent charters. Across methodologies, snapper-grouper species were the most frequently depredated target species group, and bull and sandbar sharks were the most commonly identified depredating species. Forty-three percent of anglers experienced depredation, and the probability of experiencing depredation ranged from 10% to 60% and varied both regionally and seasonally. In addition, average depredation rates ranged from 31% to 47% and were within the range of reported rates from other recreational fisheries. These results will help build a comprehensive understanding of this human-wildlife conflict and could aid fishery managers in developing management measures to address this fisheries conflict. Furthermore, this study highlights the benefit of incorporating citizen science when addressing complex fisheries issues involving stakeholder conflict.