U.S. GETS TOUGH ON SHARK FINNING

6/25/08  Yesterday, the National Marine Fisheries Service implemented strong conservation measures for severely depleted coastal sharks in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Stock assessments conducted in 2006 revealed that sandbar, porbeagle and dusky shark populations have been severely overfished, and rebuilding timeframes are projected at 66, 100 and 400 years, respectively. Thanks to numerous comments filed last winter by conservation and fishing groups, including NCMC and its members, a tough program to protect and restore these species is now in place.

Sandbar sharks are a popular target for commercial fisheries because their dorsal fins command high prices in the shark fin trade. Dusky sharks, which have been a prohibited species since 1998, are often caught as bycatch on bottom longlines set for sandbars, negating rebuilding efforts. The new regulations, known as Amendment 2 to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan, will impose a dramatic 80% cut in the commercial quota for sandbar sharks and all sandbar must be landed as part of a research program limited to 5-10 vessels carrying observers at all times. Porbeagle catch has also been cut to a fraction of previous levels, with the majority of the quota allocated to the recreational fishery.

The drastic cuts in allowable shark landings would mean little if these regulations could not be properly enforced. For this reason, the most significant change in Amendment 2 is a new requirement that all sharks be landed with fins naturally attached. The fins-on measure will facilitate identification of sharks at the dock and dealer, improve data collection and stock assessments, and will greatly aid authorities in enforcing the U.S. ban on shark finning. Previous rules permitted fins to be removed from the carcass before landing as long as they fit a fins-to-carcass ratio that was imprecise and open to abuse.

While Amendment 2 only applies to Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico shark fisheries, the fins-on measure likely influenced a recent amendment to the Shark Conservation Act, which if passed by Congress, will require fins to be attached to all sharks landed in the United States and its territories. The amendment was introduced by Congressman Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) and approved by the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee on June 11. The Act has now moved to the Senate.

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