492 
Fishery Bulletin 115(4) 
shark being hauled in may have induced an immobility 
reflex or slight tonic immobility state as documented 
for a number of shark species (Henningsen, 1994; Hol¬ 
land et al., 1999). 
Little scientific attention has been given to the pro¬ 
cess of wound healing in sharks (Towner et al., 2012) 
and little is known about related shark behavior. Our 
study area provides favorable conditions for pursuing 
this line of research on nurse sharks and our contin¬ 
ued use of the poker-and-hook method could provide 
valuable insight on the process of wound healing in 
sharks in general. In the future, the effects on blood 
biochemistry (as an indicator of stress response, mor¬ 
bidity, etc.) could also be examined in relation to post¬ 
capture behavior and survivorship in comparison with 
other capture methods (e.g., Hyatt et al., 2012; Hyatt 
et al., 2016). Currently, strong evidence supports the 
continued use and development of the poker-and-hook 
method and its application in research. Compared with 
traditional methods such as angling or gillnetting, the 
poker-and-hook method is less invasive and more ef¬ 
ficient. Targeted individuals are captured quickly and 
efficiently, thereby reducing capture time and associat¬ 
ed stress, and bycatch can be entirely eliminated with 
this method. 
As of March 2016, 5 individuals captured with the 
poker-and-hook method, tagged and then released, 
have returned to the canal and have provided infor¬ 
mation on residency and movement of nurse sharks in 
the area. Given the increasing importance of tagging 
for understanding the connectivity between individual 
mobility (e.g., range, residency), the internal dynamics 
of populations (e.g., mating aggregations, philopatry), 
and the effective management of nurse shark popula¬ 
tions at large (Chapman et al., 2015), we recommend 
using the poker-and-hook capture method to facilitate 
tagging and subsequent tracking of nurse sharks else¬ 
where, as well as other feasible shark species. 
Acknowledgments 
We would like to thank Florida Power and Light and 
the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant for their support. 
We would also like to thank N. Alvarez-Berrios, C. Ba- 
jzak, and 3 anonymous reviewers who provided con¬ 
structive input to this manuscript. All fish removal 
activities in the canal were in accordance with the 
latest special activities license issued by the Florida 
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (permit 
no. SAL-15-0018-SR). 
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