March 26, 1998

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Shark Finning
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Cambridge, UK - The three countries of North America - Canada, Mexico
and the USA -- still lack adequate monitoring and management measures
for some highly exploited species of shark, the most feared yet kingly
fish.
The warning comes in a new report, Shark Fisheries and Trade in the
Americas: North America, released today by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade
monitoring programme of WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature and
IUCN-The World Conservation Union.
The report's release, in collaboration with the WWF Endangered Seas
Campaign, comes only a few weeks before world shark experts prepare
to convene in Tokyo in late April under the auspices of the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization to discuss world shark fisheries. The UN has
also declared 1998 "The International Year of the Ocean".
Mexico and the USA - two of the world's top 20 shark fishing nations -
together landed more than 100 000 tonnes of shark in 1994. Also, while
Canada has long been considered a minor player in the shark trade,
TRAFFIC research indicates that Canadian imports and exports of shark
products are poorly documented by the government.
Some precautionary measures have been put in place in Canada and the
USA, but one particular shark species -- the Piked or Spiny Dogfish --
continues to escape the management safety net. This shark is being
caught in increasing numbers in North America, largely for meat
exports to Europe, where the dogfish population has been depleted by
over-fishing. There are already clear signs of decline in the USA,
where there has been a rapid increase in landings since the early
1990s.
"Some European stocks are over-fished and now North America is
exhausting its stocks to fill a seemingly limitless international
demand," said Andrea Gaski, director of research for TRAFFIC North
America and editor of the report. "The situation looks increasingly
precarious when you consider the lack of international monitoring,
regulation, and basic information on biology."
In Mexico, where many shark products are processed for the
international market, fisheries agencies have instituted long-term
reporting of catch and landings. To date, however, the country's shark
fisheries remain largely unregulated and even the requirement for a
simple permit to engage in the fishery is reportedly evaded on a
frequent basis.
The existing management and precautionary measures in place in
Canada and the USA for some shark fisheries also have limitations. Most
importantly, they tend to focus primarily on the fisheries specifically
targeting sharks, neglecting important impacts of fisheries that catch
sharks incidentally. This incidental catch, known as bycatch, often has
significant mortality rates.
Historically most sharks were caught as bycatch and dumped dead back
into the ocean as "trash" fish. According to the report, each year
worldwide 240 000 tonnes of sharks are discarded when caught.
Today, sharks continue to be discarded as bycatch; however, as
popular fish such as tunas and swordfish become increasingly
depleted, restricted, or seasonally unavailable, fishermen are turning to
direct shark fishing as an alternative.
"Without better measures at the national, regional and international
levels, we are truly tempting fate," said Scott Burns, director of
WWF's Fish Conservation Program in the USA "There is no way to
evaluate the damage we are inflicting on shark populations until it
becomes too late."
Unlike some other fish that rapidly reproduce, sharks are particularly
susceptible to over-fishing because most have a long life span and low
reproductive cycles. Many sharks do not reach sexual maturity until
their teens and produce only a small number of offspring. As a result,
sharks are unable to rebound when populations are reduced further by
intensive commercial fisheries and as top predators, their extinction
could have a profound and detrimental impact on marine ecosystems.
More than 125 countries participate in the trade in sharks and shark
products. Most fisheries for sharks are unregulated and unmonitored.
At the same time, the trade in sharks and shark products is vast and,
in some regions, increasing. Shark fins, meat, liver oil, and other
parts are sold for food or as ingredients in health and beauty aids.
Like other shark fishing and trading nations, Canada, Mexico and the
USA should take action at the national and regional levels to ensure
the conservation of their shark populations and the proper
documentation of their own role in the trade in sharks and shark
products.
In the case of the Spiny Dogfish, development of precautionary
measures may be advisable for dogfish fisheries in Canada, whereas
catch in the USA should cease until a management plan is in place. The
report also recommends co-operative research and management efforts
between Canada and the USA for this particular shark, as evidence
suggests that a single stock of Spiny Dogfish migrates between the two
countries.
In Mexico, management measures are needed but must also take into
account the local economics and the importance of these fisheries to
the humans that depend upon them, particularly small-scale fishermen.
At the international level, two essential steps are needed: specific
and consistent monitoring of the catch, landings and trade in sharks,
and the establishment of a scientifically based global endeavour to
ensure their survival.
For more information, contact:
Bobbie Jo Kelso at TRAFFIC International, +44 1223 277427
or
Someshwar Singh at WWF International, +41 22 364 9553
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TRAFFIC International co-ordinates the worldwide TRAFFIC Network.
WWF is known as World Wildlife Fund in Canada and the USA.