My research team and I will evaluate a new type of fishing gear that is designed to help reduce the unintended capture of sharks during commercial and recreational fishing. This unintended capture is called "bycatch". With millions of sharks dying each year due to the stress of capture, bycatch has contributed to the world-wide decline in shark populations. The new gear is designed to break away when a shark takes the the bait but retain target species such as tuna and swordfish