Global plan to save the shark 'is not working'

Published on Thursday 27 January 2011 17:27

AN INTERNATIONAL conservation plan agreed a decade ago to protect threatened shark populations has failed to halt their decline, according to a new report.

Members of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) approved a concerted action plan ten years ago to save fragile shark stocks, with 30 per cent of all shark species threatened or near threatened with extinction.

The action plan included the need to identify and protect key habitats, ensuring catches were sustainable, and to minimise discards.

But a report published by Traffic, the wildlife trade monitoring network, and the Pew Environment Group says there is "little evidence" the plan has contributed significantly to improved conservation and management of sharks in the world's oceans.

Only 13 of the world's top 20 shark-catching nations, including Britain, have developed national plans of action to protect sharks - one of the primary recommendations of the UNFAO agreement.

Those with no action plan include Indonesia, which tops the league of shark-catching nations, with an average annual reported catch of 109,248 tonnes between 2000 and 2008 - 13.25 per cent of the total catch. The UK is ranked 19th, with an average catch of 13,356 tones, 1.62 per cent.

According to the report, the top 20 shark-catching nations account for more than 640,000 tonnes of sharks landed each year. The top four - Indonesia, India, Spain and Taiwan - account for more than 35 per cent.

Up to 73 million sharks are killed annually, primarily for their fins to be used in shark fin soup, a popular dish in many East Asian countries.

The report was published by the two organisations ahead of a meeting of the UNFAO's fisheries committee, which opens in Rome on Monday.