Forget ‘Jaws,’ it’s time to save sharks
Print Edition
Countries have agreed to protect more than a dozen shark species at risk of extinction, in a move aimed at conserving some of the ocean’s most awe-inspiring creatures who have themselves become prey to commercial fishing and shark fin soup.
Three proposals covering the international trade of 18 types of mako sharks, wedgefishes and guitarfishes each passed with a needed two-thirds majority in a committee of the World Wildlife Conference known as CITES yesterday.
“Today we are one step closer to protecting the fastest shark in the ocean, as well as the most threatened,” said Jen Sawada, who directs The Pew Charitable Trusts shark conservation work.
The move isn’t final but is a key sign before an official decision at its plenary this week.
Conservationists applauded and exchanged hugs after the tallies. Opponents included Iceland, China, Japan, Malaysia and New Zealand. The US voted against the mako shark measure but supported the other two.
Rima Jabado, a shark expert and lead scientist of the Gulf Elasmo project, said many of the species included in the CITES proposals are classified as “critically endangered.” Jabado said there has been an 80 percent decline in the number of wedgefishes. Like giant guitarfishes, the enigmatic wedgefish has an elongated triangle-shaped head and can be found in oceans in Southeast Asia, the Arabian Sea and off East Africa.
Only in fish markets now
Makos are the world’s fastest sharks, reaching speeds of up to 130 kilometers an hour. But they often get caught up in the nets of trawlers hunting for tuna.
Jabado said some species of sharks and rays are becoming so difficult to find in the wild that scientists only often see them at local fish markets.
“How are we ever going to save these species if we only see them when fishermen bring them in?” she said, adding that even if actions are taken now, it will be decades before shark populations start to recover. Losing more sharks and rays could also have other unintended consequences since they are top ocean predators and help to balance the ecosystems.
Scientists warn although warming oceans and climate change are hurting sharks, it is the demand for shark fin soup that is threatening to drive some species to extinction. The Pew Trust estimates between 63 million and 273 million sharks are killed every year, mostly to feed the shark fin trade centered on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Dried shark fin can draw up to US$1,000 per kilogram. The fins are often turned into shark fin soup. Fishermen often slice off a shark’s fin while the animal is still alive before tossing the carcass back into the ocean. Conservationists say movies like “Jaws” have unfairly maligned society’s perception of sharks and in turn, made it difficult to garner support to protect them.
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