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A recent study confirms that 32 percent of deep ocean sharks and rays are threatened with extinction. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group, this threat is mainly due to overfishing — when fishing activities cause a massive depletion of marine creatures, upsetting the ecological balance and ultimately exhausting the fish supply.
Sharks in the deep ocean are more likely to be threatened with extinction than the shark group as a whole. As much as 52 percent of open ocean sharks are threatened in high-sea fisheries, IUCN says.
“Despite mounting threats, sharks remain virtually unprotected on the high seas. The vulnerability and lengthy migrations of most open ocean sharks mean they need coordinated, international conservation plans. Our report documents serious overfishing of these species, in national and international waters, and demonstrates a clear need for immediate action on a global scale”, says Sonja Fordham, Deputy Chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and Policy Director of the Shark Alliance.
Aside from overfishing, new markets for shark meat and high demand for their fins are also growing issues. Shark fins are used in the Asian delicacy shark fin soup. The process of finning is short but not so sweet. The fins are cut off the sharks, which are then thrown back into the ocean. Sharks are targeted in this market after they are taken from high sea tuna and swordfish fisheries, labeling them as an “incidental ‘bycatch.’” Bans against finning have been imposed for most international waters, but have not been so effective due to moderate enforcing activities.
Sharks may take years to mature and have few young, making them susceptible to overfishing, and causing most pelagic shark catches unfettered and defenseless. Twenty-four percent of sharks are classified as Near Threatened, which doesn’t look good for the species as a whole.
The study is partially based on an IUCN workshop funded by the Lenfest Ocean Program, which along with Conservation International and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation supported the development of the Shark Specialist Group’s Global Shark Red List. Experts from government agencies, institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations took part in this workshop.
Scientists in Denmark recently met to devise a plan for porbeagle sharks in the Atlantic. Spain also hosted an international conference of fishery managers responsible for deep sea tuna fisheries, where sharks are taken without limit.
