Longline fishing kills 7 million sharks annually: WWF

MORE than seven million sharks and skates are killed every year as an unintended consequence of longline fishing off the west coasts of South Africa, Namibia and Angola, a report by environmental group WWF said yesterday.

The practice also claims some 34,000 seabirds and 4,200 sea turtles a year in the area known as the Benguela ecosystem, according to the report compiled in association with conservation body BirdLife.

“The majority of albatross and sea turtle species and many shark species are listed as threatened with extinction by the IUCN (World Conservation Union), with fisheries impacts being cited as a major cause,” said a statement released in Cape Town.