Report underscores need for action to save sharks
07 Nov 2008
A new report by wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC and the Australian Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts shows that parts of Australia’s marine economic zone are world hot spots for illegal shark fishing.
The report, Illegal, unreported and unregulated shark catch: A review of current knowledge and action, highlights the waters north of Australia as a hot spot along with areas off Central/South America and in the western and central Pacific Ocean.
The high level of illegal shark fishing in these regions is yet another reason for the dramatic decline in shark numbers. “Global assessments on the status of sharks continue to paint a picture of impending extinction,” said WWF-Australia Oceans Program Leader Dr Gilly Llewellyn.
“Currently, of the 591 shark species assessed globally, more than 20 per cent are considered to be critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable.” The menace of illegal shark fishing is compounded by the number of species taken as by-catch by the tuna fishing industry. In December, a meeting of nations that fish for tuna in the Central and Western Pacific will again look at ways of addressing this problem.
“We will be looking for a strong outcome for shark conservation at this meeting,” Dr Llewellyn said. “Right now you could drive a long-liner through the loopholes on the laws governing shark as by- catch.” The ineffective management of shark fisheries is the final piece in the puzzle that explains why shark numbers are in free-fall around the world.
“Phasing out targeted shark fishing in the Great Barrier Reef and declaring large shark protection zones would establish Queensland as a leader in shark conservation. It would send a clear message to the world that we care about our largest reef system and the sharks which are major tourist draw cards,” Dr Llewellyn said.
The illegal fishing report also highlights how strong management actions by Australia’s Federal Government have already yielded positive results. The Government has stepped up maritime patrols off the coast of Northern Australia in the past few years to tackle illegal shark fishing. Since the initiative began there has been a steep decline in the number of illegal fishing boats found in those waters.
In 2004-2005, the patrols intercepted 1659 illegal fishing vessels and confiscated 1831kgs of shark fin. Two years later and the number of illegal fishing vessels entering our northern waters had plummeted. In 2006-2007, only 350 vessels were intercepted in Australian waters carrying a total of 1600kgs of shark fins.
Despite the drop in boat numbers a worrying trend appeared. Several boats caught were bigger and used increasingly more sophisticated gear to hunt sharks.
“These interception results are encouraging but we clearly need ongoing investment to show that we care for our oceans,” Dr Llewellyn. “If our leaders can protect places like the Coral Sea, and phase out shark fishing in the Great Barrier Reef then we will lead the world in caring for these magnificent ocean predators.”
See the TRAFFIC report at www.traffic.org.
For more information
Alvin Stone, Communications Officer, WWF-Australia. astone@wwf.org.au Phone: +612 8202 1259. Mbl: +61 (0) 0410 221 068
