A third of sharks and rays face extinction

ALMOST a third of sharks and rays found in the open ocean are threatened with extinction – largely as a result of overfishing, conservationists warned yesterday.

The first assessment of the global fortunes of 64 species of pelagic, or open ocean, sharks and rays found 32% were under threat.

And more than half, 52%, the species which are caught in high-seas fisheries are at risk of dying out, the International Union for Conservation of Nature warned.

The scalloped hammerhead shark, which has declined by 99% in the past 30 years in some parts of the world, is particularly vulnerable and has been given globally endangered status on the red list, which means it is nearing extinction.

In the Gulf of Mexico, the oceanic whitetip shark has declined by a similar amount.

Many sharks are caught in high-seas tuna and swordfish fisheries, some as accidental “by-catch” of those industries, but increasingly targeted themselves to supply growing demand for shark meat and fins. The valuable fins are used for shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asia.

To supply the market the wasteful process of “finning” often takes place, in which the fins are cut off the shark and the rest of the body is thrown back into the sea.

Bans on the practice have been introduced in most international waters, but are ineffective and are not being properly monitored, conservation group Shark Alliance said.

Despite the threats they face, sharks are “virtually unprotected” on the high seas, according to Sonja Fordham, deputy chairwoman of the IUCN shark specialist group and policy director for Shark Alliance.

“The vulnerability and lengthy migrations of most open-ocean sharks calls for co-ordinated, international conservation plans,” she urged.

The IUCN shark specialist group is calling on governments to set catch limits for sharks and rays based on scientific advice, protect critically endangered and endangered species and ensure better monitoring of fisheries and an end to finning.

Sharks including the great hammerhead and the scalloped hammerhead, along with great devil rays, are all classified as endangered under the IUCN’s assessment.

The great white shark, basking shark and oceanic whitetip are all classed as vulnerable to extinction.

According to the IUCN, sharks are particularly sensitive to overfishing because they generally take many years to mature and have relatively few young.

British Fisheries Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: “We must do all we can to protect and sustainably manage these vulnerable species.

“It’s essential that we ensure that the practice of cutting off sharks’ fins before dumping them back in the sea doesn’t happen.”