370 
NOAA 
National Marine 
Fisheries Service 
Fishery Bulletin 
ftx- established 1881 
Spencer F. Baird 
First U.S. Commissioner 
of Fisheries and founder 
of Fishery Bulletin 
A comparison of circle hook and J hook 
performance in the recreational shark 
fishery off Maryland 
Email address for contact author: angel.willey@maryland.gov 
Abstract — The purpose of this study, 
conducted from 2012 through 2014, 
was to gather data on the differ- 
ent effects of circle and J hooks on 
hooking outcome, frequency of deep 
hooking, and catch rate in the recre- 
ational shark fishery off Maryland. 
Circle hooks clearly outperformed J 
hooks. Interactions of sharks with 
circle hooks resulted in a 91% hook- 
ing rate (of which 3% were deep 
hookings), an 88% capture rate, and 
a catch rate of 0.9 sharks/hook inter- 
action. The hooking rate for J hooks 
was 75% (of which 6% were deep 
hookings), a capture rate of 68%, 
and a catch rate of 0.7 sharks/hook 
interaction. These results indicate 
that circle hooks can improve fishing 
success and serve as a conservation 
measure by maximizing the prob- 
ability of survival for sharks during 
recreational shark fishing. 
Manuscript submitted 31 August 2015. 
Manuscript accepted 6 June 2016. 
Fish. Bull. 114:370-372 (2016). 
Online publication date: 21 June 2016. 
doi: 10.7755/FB.114.3.9 
The views and opinions expressed or 
implied in this article are those of the 
author (or authors) and do not necessarily 
reflect the position of the National 
Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. 
Angel L. Willey (contact author) 
Linda S. Barker 
Mark Sampson 
Fisheries Service 
Maryland Department of Natural Resources 
580 Taylor Avenue 
Annapolis, Maryland 21401 
Numerous studies of the recreational 
use of circle hooks in teleost fisheries 
and the commercial pelagic longline 
fishery indicate that fewer fish are 
“deep hooked” on circle hooks and 
that catch efficiency with circle hooks 
is equal to, or better than, that with 
J hooks (Cooke and Suski, 2004; Se- 
rafy et ah, 2012). These studies have 
helped circle hooks gain acceptance 
and have provided the data used to 
set forth regulatory requirements 
for some fisheries and tournaments 
(Cooke and Suski, 2004). In the rec- 
reational shark fishery, some anglers 
have been reluctant to switch to cir- 
cle hooks because of concerns about 
catch efficiency and doubts about the 
applicability of the results of teleost 
studies to the catchability of sharks 
(Prince et ah, 2002; Lucifora et ah, 
2009; Serafy et ah, 2012). Therefore, 
scientific evidence that supports the 
benefits of circle hooks is needed to 
convince recreational shark anglers 
to voluntarily switch hook types and 
support regulatory measures that re- 
quire circle hook use in their fishery. 
We undertook this study from 2012 
through 2014 to gather data on the 
effects of circle and J hooks on hook- 
ing outcome, frequency of deep hook- 
ing, and catch rate in the recreation- 
al shark fishery off Maryland. 
Materials and methods 
Field methods 
All data were collected by a charter 
captain that specialized in shark 
fishing off the Atlantic coast of Mary- 
land. He fished as he normally did 
but dedicated 2 surface lines to our 
study, set with a circle hook and a 
comparable-size J hook. Circle hooks 
were limited to Mustad^ 39960D 
hooks in sizes 16/0 when fishing oc- 
curred offshore and 13/0 when fish- 
ing occurred nearshore (O. Mustad & 
Son A.S., Gjovik, Norway). Bait type 
was identical in size and species for 
both lines and was refreshed at the 
same time. 
The outcome of each shark inter- 
action with the line (called a strike) 
was recorded as a bite, as lost, or 
as captured ) — terminology similar 
to that of Skomal et al. (2002). A 
bite was defined as a strike that re- 
sulted in the shark taking the bait 
but not being hooked. An event was 
not recorded if the captain or mate 
1 Mention of trade names or commercial 
companies is for identification purposes 
only and does not imply endorsement by 
the Maryland Department of Natural 
Resources. 
