Oceanic white tip shark, one of 21 shark species found in the Atlantic Ocean. (Source: Encyclopedia of Life, http://www.eol.org/pages/213834)
- Over 1.3 million sharks are killed every year in the Atlantic due to fishing practices and poor management at the international level; many of these sharks are also endangered species.
- These findings were released at a meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which sets catch limits and focuses on maintaining sustainable fisheries.
- According to the International Union for the conservation of Nature (IUCN), populations of the oceanic white tip shark have gone down 70%; the hammerhead shark population, perhaps even worse off, has decreased by over 99%. 75% of Atlantic shark species are said to be “threatened with extinction”.
- Global concerns have primarily been about the Atlantic bluefin tuna, thus leaving shark populations relatively unmanaged.
- Some of the sharks are caught, get their fins cut off (often for Chinese culinary uses, where it is a delicacy), and then thrown back dead into the ocean; despite this practice being banned, loopholes have been found and fishermen continue to harvest shark fins. To reinforce the finning ban, the US suggested that sharks must be brought back to the shore whole if they are fished; this would also help monitor shark population levels better.
- Because sharks produce few offspring and take a long time to mature into adults, they can be hurt significantly by overfishing.
- Sharks are at the top of the food chain, so decreasing their numbers leaves organisms lower on the food chain unchecked, resulting in an unbalanced and unhealthy ecosystem.
Source:
Hood, Marlowe. "More than a million Atlantic sharks killed yearly: study." 22 Nov 2010. PhysOrg.com. <http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-11-million-atlantic-sharks-yearly.html>.
-- Erika Najarro
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