Massachusetts officials are putting shore anglers on notice: “heavy” shark-fishing tackle is off limits along a big swath of the Cape this summer, part of a push to cut risks for swimmers and ease the strain on large sharks. The ban targets rod-and-reel setups that combine metal or wire leaders longer than 18 inches with hooks wider than 5/8 inch, and it applies along the shoreline from the northernmost point of Plymouth Beach around Cape Cod Bay and the Outer Cape. Regulators have also outlawed mechanized and remote devices for deploying bait and set daytime limits on chumming in places where heavy gear is still legal.
The new rules were rolled out by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, which says the restricted zone is designed to discourage anglers from intentionally targeting white sharks and to make existing protections easier to enforce, according to Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Heavy gear is still allowed outside the marked shoreline, and anglers can keep fishing in the zone with lighter tackle for other species…