Florida to ban killing of Tiger and Hammerhead sharks

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. - Thirty years ago, Dane Karcher  fell in love at first bite.

"It was amazing.  My dad got the shark stuffed for me.  It was a full mount, and we had it hanging in my room forever," said Karcher.

He has been fishing for sharks ever since. He even does it for a living, chartering fishing trips at John's Pass. "Every day is an adventure out there," he said.

The adventure will soon change.

In November, the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission passed a ban that states you can catch tiger sharks, and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead sharks, but starting January 1, you can't keep them. The FWC said the sharks are too important to the ecosystem.

"It's great that they breed and reproduce.  It is going to take a long time for them to recover," said Allen Marshall the vice president of biological operations at the Florida Aquarium.

He said four in every five hammerheads are now gone. Still, people come to see the sharks, which helps Florida's economy. 

"With that shark staying there many years that shark was worth over $200 to $300 each year," said Marshall.  That compared to $70 he said dead sharks net.