U.S. Initiative to Protect Sharks Succeeds at Atlantic Tuna Commission.

November 22, 2004

Media Contact: Tom McCann

New Orleans, LA -Conservationists are celebrating the first international ban on shark finning adopted by consensus yesterday by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Finning - the practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the carcass back to the sea - has sparked international outcry by environmental groups and governments over the last decade. A proposal to ban finning and enhance information about sharks in ICCAT fisheries was co-sponsored by the United States, the European Community, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, and Venezuela. Representatives from Brazil, Namibia and Uruguay spoke in strong support of the proposal. The U.S. led the way by introducing a comprehensive shark proposal early in the meeting.

“We are elated that ICCAT has acted to ban the wasteful practice of shark finning, thereby taking a huge step towards safeguarding some of the ocean’s more vulnerable animals,” said Sonja Fordham, shark conservation specialist for The Ocean Conservancy and a member of the U.S. delegation to ICCAT. “We are grateful for continued U.S. leadership in addressing the worldwide waste and depletion of sharks and encouraged by the overwhelming support expressed by other ICCAT member countries.”

Shark fin is the principal ingredient in shark fin soup, an Asian delicacy that can sell for $100 a bowl. Finning has been prohibited in the U.S. Atlantic since 1993. The U.S. Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 banned the practice in all federal waters and directed the U.S. to work towards international finning restrictions as well as increased shark research and management worldwide. Other ICCAT member countries with domestic finning bans include Brazil, Canada, Namibia, South Africa and the European Union.

“Open ocean shark species such as makos, porbeagles, oceanic whitetips and blue sharks are frequently caught in pelagic fisheries targeting tuna and swordfish. These species migrate great distances on the high seas and serve a crucial role in marine ecosystems as apex predators,” explained Charlotte Mogensen, European Fisheries Policy Officer for the World Wildlife Fund. “A ban on finning will take us a long way towards curbing unsustainable shark mortality and keeping the ocean ecosystem in balance.”

Sharks are especially vulnerable to overfishing because they grow slowly and produce few young. ICCAT’s North Atlantic mako assessment suggests depletions of 50% or more. A study by Canadian scientists reported a 99% decline in Gulf of Mexico oceanic whitetip sharks since the 1950s; the IUCN-World Conservation Union has proposed this species as “Critically Endangered.” In May, Canada declared porbeagle sharks as “Endangered” based on an assessment that revealed a 90% decline since the 1960s.

“ICCAT has taken a big step forward, but sharks remain in peril all over the world,” added Liz Lauck of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the U.S. ICCAT delegation. “We urge other Regional Fishery Management Organizations to follow ICCAT’s lead by adopting finning bans and requirements for better shark fisheries data. The success of ICCAT shark measures will hinge on enforcement of the finning ban, careful monitoring of new shark data and follow-up action through catch limits.”

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) adopted an International Plan of Action (IPOA) for shark conservation in 1999, but progress has been slow. Very few countries have produced the requested National Plans of Action (NPOAs) and there are still no international limits on shark catch. Last week, the U.N. General Assembly called on Regional Fishery Management Organizations to initiate restrictions on unregulated fisheries, with priority for biologically vulnerable species and those subject to an IPOA. A motion to urge an end to shark finning is being considered this week at the World Conservation Congress in Bangkok.