Conservationists Urge Clampdown On Shark Finning
Conservationists agree that major changes to rules on shark finning are needed to preserve the health of the world’s shark populations.
Confusing regulations and poor enforcement mean rule breaking is common, according to campaign group Oceana.
Actor and activist Ted Danson said proper management could rescue the species in decline.
Over half of ocean-going sharks, and about a third of European species, are threatened with extinction.
Danson said the basic problem is it’s a fishery that’s not even considered a fishery in most areas.
"You go out and you fish for swordfish and you catch 20 sharks, [and you say] ‘it’s a shark, who cares, we don’t count them – doesn’t matter’," Danson said, "therefore, you have a fishery that’s not managed and not controlled."
Of the estimated 100 million sharks caught each year, fishermen looking for such species as tuna, marlin or swordfish take about half accidentally.
The rest are targeted principally for their fins, which are used in shark fin soup, a delicacy in parts of East Asia.
The EU and US both have rules governing this catch. But Oceana believes – as do other environmental groups – that the differences between Brussels and Washington are a boon to would-be rule breakers.
"What they do is allow fishermen to cut fins off sharks and then land sharks and fins in specified ratios," said Mike Hirschfield, the organization’s chief scientist.
"And you can imagine all of the opportunities for mischief that result."
The weight of fins landed must amount to no more than 5% of the weight of shark carcasses landed, according to EU rules.
US scientists allow fishermen to land only two or even three fins for every carcass, with the remains of the rest of the sharks dumped overboard.
In the US, rules for the Pacific limit fin landings to 5% of dressed weight – the weight after all the inedible parts such as bones and gut have been removed.
Regulations have recently been tightened In the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to say that sharks must be landed with fins attached. This may extend to the Pacific soon, and Oceana would like to see as a global standard.
Sonja Fordham, policy director of the Shark Alliance, said requiring that sharks be landed with their fins attached is by far the most reliable means of enforcing a ban on shark finning.
"It also improves the ability to collect species-specific catch information that is important for population assessment."
In Europe, the UK is the fourth largest shark-fishing nation.
Britons partaking of fish and chips will sometimes be eating shark – though you might not always know it.
Commonly called the spiny dogfish or spurdog (Squalus acanthias), the chippy’s favored shark is more usually labeled as rock salmon.
The northeast Atlantic populations are categorized as Critically Endangered by IUCN, the global conservation organization that compiles the annual Red List of Threatened Species.
However, UK fish and chip shops are a minor player in the decline of sharks in a global sense.
Sales of spiny dogfish are so marginal as not to feature on retail datasheets, according to the Seafood industry body Seafish.
Hirschfield said the UK has historically been a voice for sustainable fishing.
"But many policies governing sharks are set in Brussels, and it’s ministers of the different countries that ultimately have the final say in Brussels – so the UK needs to continue to be a voice for sustainable fishing."
But Fordham argued the UK could tighten up its own act.
"The UK is one of only five EU member states that issue special permits to allow the removal of fins at sea under the EU finning ban," she said.
"The UK could lead the way toward a solid EU finning ban by discontinuing these problematic permits, thereby ensuring that shark fins remain attached through to the point of landing."
Climate change has taken up most of the time and attention of environment officials in Brussels and London – and in other capitals.
Ted Danson and other conservationists fear other important issues are being sidelined.
"Let’s say – cross our fingers – that we solve the problem with global warming; by the time we do that, it’s quite conceivable that we’ve fished out our oceans," he said.
"I don’t think you can compartmentalize any more, you need to handle all these problems simultaneously."
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