action in response to IUCN study revealing region’s sharks and rays are
endangered and unprotected
Brussels, 16 November 2007: The Shark Alliance is repeating its
call for a strong Plan of Action to improve the status of European
sharks and rays in response to new IUCN findings that 42% of shark and
ray populations in the Mediterranean Sea are threatened with
extinction. A report released today by the IUCN Shark
Specialist Group (SSG) and the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean
Cooperation reveals that the region has the highest percentage of such
species assessed as Threatened in the world, due primarily to
overfishing through targeted and incidental fisheries.
European Union (EU) resource managers, led by the
European Commission, are developing an overdue Plan of Action for the
conservation and management of sharks. The European Commission is also
expected to propose the first EU limits for porbeagle shark, identified
by IUCN as “Critically Endangered†off Europe, by the end of November
for consideration by EU Fisheries Ministers in December.
“From devil rays to angel sharks,
Mediterranean populations of these vulnerable species are in serious
trouble,†said Claudine Gibson, Programme Officer for the IUCN Shark
Specialist Group and co-author of the report. “Our analyses reveal the
Mediterranean Sea as one of the world’s most dangerous places on Earth
for sharks and rays,†he continued.
The report
details the findings of an expert workshop at which all 71
Mediterranean species of sharks, rays, and chimaeras (cartilaginous
fishes) were categorized using IUCN Red List Criteria.
Participants deemed 42% (30 species) of these species Threatened, of
which 18% are Critically Endangered, 11% Endangered and 13%
Vulnerable. Another 18% (13 species) were assessed as Near
Threatened while a lack of information led to 26% (18 species) being
classified as Data Deficient. Only 14% (10 species) are considered to
be of Least Concern.
The Maltese skate, angular
roughshark and three species of angel sharks, taken principally as
“bycatch†in bottom trawl fisheries, are classified as Critically
Endangered. The shortfin mako and porbeagle, taken primarily
in longline fisheries and prized for their meat and fins, are also
considered Critically Endangered. The giant devil ray and
sandbar shark have been categorized as Endangered. The blue
shark, which often falls victim to “finning†(the practice of cutting
off a shark’s valuable fins and discarding the body at sea), qualifies
as Vulnerable to extinction in the Mediterranean.
There are no catch limits for fished species of Mediterranean
sharks and rays. Shark finning is prohibited, but enforcement
methods are lenient. Eight species of sharks and rays have
been listed on the four international conventions relevant to
Mediterranean wildlife conservation, but only three species have
received any protection as a result: white and basking sharks are
protected in Croatian and European Community waters while Malta and
Croatia protect the giant devil ray.
“Never before have the EU’s Mediterranean countries had more
reason or opportunity to safeguard the region’s beleaguered sharks and
rays,†said Sonja Fordham, Deputy Chair of the SSG and Policy Director
for the Shark Alliance. “Fisheries and Environment Ministers
should heed the dire warnings of this report and act to conserve sharks
and rays through immediate protections for porbeagle and a
comprehensive Community Plan of Action for all sharks and
rays. Such action is necessary to change the current course
toward extinction of these remarkable ocean animals,†she
continued.
This week, in Turkey, fisheries
managers at the annual meeting of the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which guides Mediterranean
rules for species taken in tuna fisheries, are considering establishing
international measures for sharks. ICCAT scientists have
identified the porbeagle shark as a species of concern and recommended
reducing fishing for shortfin mako sharks.
