PHOTO : DORA HAMILTON |
Shark study starts The Marine Conservation Society is working with organisations in both the Caribbean and the UK to ensure that local shark populations are protected in the waters around Anguilla , one of the UK ’ s overseas territories . Thanks to a grant awarded by the UK Government ’ s Darwin Plus initiative , which provides vital funding in overseas territories , work will be carried out to better understand shark populations around these East Caribbean islands .
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Way back in February , seems like a lifetime ago , I wrote in this column about the ongoing situation with the shortfin mako shark . Of all the oceanic sharks , the shortfin mako is probably in the most pressing situation .
The mako is one of our best-loved sharks . Sleek , speedy and with one of shark world ’ s most impressive set of teeth . In the Atlantic , they range from the tip of South America to Greenland . While they can withstand a bit of cold , they migrate huge distances to stay in warmer waters . The females mature late at 18 and they reproduce slowly . All told , they might have as few as three litters of 10-18 pups in a lifetime . They are , quite simply , beautiful sharks .
But they ’ re still being caught in huge numbers , way exceeding their rate of reproduction .
They ’ re an important secondary species for huge longlining fleets fishing for tuna and swordfish . But to describe them as by-catch is misleading . They ’ re a valuable shark for both meat and fins . And the fishing industry are remarkably reluctant to stop catching them .
The message from the scientists , after a full assessment in 2017 is very clear : Stop fishing now if Atlantic mako are to have a chance of recovering in our lifetime . That ’ s sobering stuff and it warrants immediate action .
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Sadly , key decision makers , particularly in the EU and US , have been failing to heed the advice . In listening to industry voices and placing economic arguments against the need to protect an endangered species , they ’ re letting us all down . One real positive has been the action of the UK . As well as their recent positive action to address the trade in fins within the Action Plan for Animal Welfare , they ’ ve also been active champions in the call to ban Atlantic mako fisheries . Long may this global leadership continue .
By the time you read this , our next big opportunity to get the international policymakers to do the right thing will have passed . Will we have succeeded ? You can follow progress on www . nolimitsnofuture . org
Either way , the last six months has been an extraordinary period in our advocacy work for sharks . We ’ ve brought together a huge community of support across Europe , in the US and beyond . It ’ s been amazing to see the international community of shark lovers speaking with one voice on this vital issue . Whatever happens in July , the need to protect oceanic sharks from the ravages of destructive fishing is not going to go away . It ’ s a challenge for us all to rise to . By working together . www . sharktrust . org
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