Interaction With Humans
The nurse shark is not widely commercially fished, but because of its sluggish behaviour it is an easy target for local fisheries. Its skin is exceptionally tough and is prized for leather; its flesh is consumed fresh and salted and its liver is utilised for oil. It is not taken as a game fish. It has been reported in some unprovoked attacks on humans but is not generally perceived as a threat. Divers have often provoked the shark, however, by grabbing a motionless specimen by the tail.
Juvenile nurse sharks are sometimes sold in the saltwater aquarium trade. However, since nurse sharks attain lengths in excess of ten feet they are far too large to be kept in home aquaria. In an article for Aquarium Fish Magazine, Scott W. Michael criticizes the ethics of aquarists attempting to keep species beyond their spatial and financial means. He also notes that most public aquaria are not interested in taking specimens that have outgrown home aquaria and that they should never be released into the wild.
Read more about this topic: Nurse Shark
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