Wed, Nov 16, 2011
Countries involved in bluefin tuna fishing need to do more to
protect the collateral killing of sharks, an environmental group
said Tuesday.
Three-quarters of migratory shark species that inhabit bluefin
fishing areas are threatened with extinction, the Oceana group
warned the International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT.)
"The fishing countries of the Atlantic can no longer ignore that
shark populations are being decimated by ICCAT fisheries," Oceana
manager Elizabeth Griffin Wilson said.
Representatives from dozens of bluefin tuna fishing nations are
meeting in Turkey to discuss ways to improve protection for the
endangered fish, savoured by many sushi eaters for its firm
meat.
Oceana wants the 48 commission members to prohibit the retention
of endangered or other particularly vulnerable species, including
porbeagle and silky sharks.
The commission already has introduced protections for the bigeye
thresher, hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks.
The US Pew Environment Group wants fishermen to use new
materials that allow sharks to escape, such as nylon fishing lines
that can be severed by a shark but not a tuna.
"Banning wire leaders and not allowing vessels to retain certain
species would help reduce the vast number of sharks caught and
killed in Atlantic fisheries," said Pew shark campaign manager Jill
Hepp.
Pew says 73 million sharks are killed each year, mainly for
their fins, which are used in soup in some Asian countries.
