@ Sea Feature--Taking a Bite out of Sharks by Dr. Carl Safina

Taking
a Bite
out of
Sharks

by Dr. Carl Safina

Dr. Carl Safina founded and directs the National Audubon Society's Living Oceans Program, whose mission is to work nationally and internationally to reverse the mismanagement of fisheries, restore depleted marine wildlife, and restore the health of our marine environment and coastal habitats...because fish are wildlife, too. Safina's recent book, "Song for the Blue Ocean," was hailed by the LA Times Book Review as "The Silent Spring of our time," and the New York Times Book Review called it "A passionate and enthralling narrative... A landmark book." It was chosen as a New York Times notable book, a Los Angeles times "best nonfiction" selection, and a Library Journal "Best Science Book" selection.

Sharks are subject to intense overfishing in many regions, and they are the fishes worst equipped to withstand it because they are generally slow growing, late-maturing, and slow to reproduce. Several large shark species (most notably dusky and sandbar sharks) in U.S. waters have declined roughly 80%. A recent overview of world shark fisheries by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) noted their general history of non-sustainability, and only 3 of 26 major shark fishing countries have management and research programs. Thirty percent of the major fishing countries show falling catches. Sharks make up only about 1% of the world fisheries catch. They are generally of low food value, and most of the catch is discarded. The United States' National Marine Fisheries Service estimates that 2,800 tons of sharks-- mostly juveniles-- are discarded in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery each year. Roughly forty million sharks are caught each year, most taken on longlines set for tunas.

Many sharks are discarded after their fins are sliced off. Shark fin--used as a thickener in soup--is the only highly prized shark product, and demand has increased sharply. According to FAO, the "tragedy of sharks" is that although research and management is a low priority because they contribute so little economically, the high value of their fins makes sharks targeted even if the sharks' bodies are discarded and the shark populations are depleted. This means "little hope for viable management consistent with both economic and conservation interests."

Scientific information forms an irrefutable consensus on the need for significant reorientation in managing shark fishing. And fisheries managers are beginning to realize that changes are needed. The last several years have seen the establishment a first management plan for sharks in Atlantic U.S. waters and an international resolution to put together a better world picture of world fisheries for sharks. And who would have thought that great white sharks would be among the first fish in the seas to receive protection from humans; great whites are now protected in South Africa, Australia, and California. Momentum may now be starting to shift toward conservation.

For more information on sharks and their conservation, write to: Sharks c/o Living Oceans, 550 South Bay Ave., Islip, NY 11751 USA.