US Government Urged to Help Threatened Sharks
Conservation groups calls for Administration's strong support
for international trade limits at upcoming CITES meeting
WASHINGTON, May 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a letter today,
seven prominent US-based environmental, animal rights, and trade
organizations called on the Bush Administration to support proposals
to restrict international commerce in two species of threatened
sharks through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) and to stand firm against opposition to the US
proposal to ban trade in closely related sawfish. So far, the
US has been critical of the shark proposals, offered by the European
Union, which aim to limit trade in spiny dogfish and porbeagle
sharks to sustainable levels. The conference of the 171 member
countries of CITES begins this Sunday and runs through June 15
at The Hague.
"Given US leadership in shark conservation and promotion
of all other CITES action for sharks, the government's lack of
support for the EU shark proposals is particularly distressing," said
Sonja Fordham, director of the Ocean Conservancy's Shark Conservation
Program. "Like the sawfish, these vulnerable and imperiled
sharks need decades to recover and their best hope lies with
international cooperation."
Spiny dogfish are exported from all corners of the globe to
satisfy European demand for fish and chips and smoked belly flaps.
Porbeagle meat is among the most prized in Europe while fins
are sent to Asia for use in shark fin soup. Spiny dogfish and
porbeagle shark populations have been seriously depleted by targeted,
poorly regulated fisheries. The IUCN (World Conservation Union)
classifies both species as globally Threatened and Endangered
in the US Atlantic Canada and the US still allow fishing on these
shared populations and neither country has expressed support
for the proposals for CITES action.
The letter details how a 2000 federal plan to rebuild dogfish
has been undermined by Atlantic state action. States recently
ramped up trip limits by 500%, leading to a 50% overage in the
annual quota. Landings skyrocketed from 1,637,790 to 6,230,636
pounds over the last two years. Catch in Virginia increased 1000
times last year. Groups assert CITES action to limit exports
to sustainable levels could improve compliance for the federal
dogfish plan.
"The CITES experts agree that listing is warranted for
spiny dogfish, porbeagles, and sawfish," said Charles Fox,
senior officer at the Pew Environment Group. "The US should
safeguard the sharks, its sawfish proposal, and its reputation
as a fish conservation champion, by actively supporting the EU
proposals at the CITES conference as an important step towards
improving shark status worldwide."
The letter was signed by representatives from the Pew Environment
Group, Ocean Conservancy, TRAFFIC North America, the Humane Society
of the United States, Greenpeace, the Natural Resources Defense
Council, and the Shark Research Institute.
Sharks and closely related skates, rays and sawfish are especially
vulnerable to overfishing and slow to recover from depletion
because they generally grow slowly, mature late, and produce
few young. Three species of sharks - white, basking and whale
- are already listed under CITES, thanks in part to US support,
but the volume of trade in these species is dwarfed by that in
spiny dogfish.
