The global shark population continues to decline alarmingly despite measures to curb the uncontrolled fishing that seeks to satisfy the demand for fins, according to a scientific report that urges stronger protection for sharks.
From 2012 to 2019, the number of sharks killed each year by fishing went from 76 million to more than 80 million, the report published in the journal Science states. At least 25 million belonged to some of the most threatened shark families.
Present in the oceans for 400 million years, sharks are threatened by the demand for their meat and fins, which are highly appreciated in Asian markets.
70% of the world’s countries or jurisdictions banned the practice of catching sharks to cut off their fins and throw them back into the sea, where they die amputated.
But those laws, which generally date back to the 1990s, had unforeseen consequences that even increased the species’ mortality. The amputation of fins decreased, but the obligation to bring the fish to port encouraged the shark meat trade.
The measures adopted “were not the miraculous solution we expected,” said Laurenne Schiller, one of the study’s authors. For three years, the researchers collected information on fishing regulations and shark mortality.
The scientists were surprised to see the extent to which “the trade in shark meat, oil and cartilage” was widespread and its use “in numerous products without consumers being aware” of it, declared Boris Worm, another of the authors.
Key to the marine ecosystem
Fisheries now tend to capture smaller sharks due to the decrease in the fin trade and large sharks. In areas with the highest shark mortality, researchers found that more gillnets (suspended in the water) and trawls (dragged along the ocean floor) were often used.
Although they are large predators, sharks are very vulnerable, Schiller stressed. “Sharks spent over 99% of their time on Earth in an ocean without humans, so they were not prepared to face us,” she explained.
Sharks are essential for the health of the oceans. “The disappearance of these species can disrupt the balance of the marine ecosystem,” she warned.
However, one in three sharks worldwide is at risk of extinction. Worm recalled that many countries and territories have created and implemented sanctuaries to safeguard the species.
But the risks sharks face appear to be worsening, stresses the International Union for Conservation of Nature. “We must take a more targeted approach to reducing shark mortality,” Schiller said.
