CAIRO: Atlantic fishing nations have agreed to raised shield sharks and rays by limiting the retention of a number of bycatch species, however advocacy teams warn that progress continues to be lagging behind.
On the finish of the work of the Worldwide Fee for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) this week, international locations agreed on “new measures for the safety of cetaceans, whale sharks and rays mobulides” and the conservation of Atlantic blue sharks, in line with a press launch on Monday.
Sharks and rays face what conservationists name an extinction disaster, with almost two-thirds of coral reef species in danger, in line with a research this 12 months that evaluated knowledge from the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature.
Threatened by overfishing, sharks and rays should be higher protected by governments and fisheries, in line with the Shark Atlantic and Mediterranean League, an advocacy coalition for the development of conservation insurance policies.
The group stated ICCAT’s steps have been constructive however didn’t go far sufficient “to correctly safeguard inherently weak species” like manta and satan rays, in addition to whale and blue sharks.
ICCAT, a grouping of fifty international locations together with a few of the world’s greatest fishing nations, additionally minimize quotas for closely fished blue sharks by 23 p.c.
A brand new inhabitants evaluation has warned that present blue shark catches are “too excessive to make sure long-term sustainability”, in line with the Shark League, which in contrast the short-term impacts of the brand new quota to “a recreation of probability”.
Conservation group Pew Charitable Trusts stated the measures agreed by ICCAT have been “principally disappointing” as fishing nations didn’t adequately fight local weather change or promote safety of different species, reminiscent of North Atlantic swordfish and West Atlantic skipjack tuna.
“After a number of years of constructive progress, ICCAT may have continued its momentum, however didn’t take the anticipated steps to modernize the administration of a few of its most precious fisheries,” stated Pew’s Esther Wozniak.
Though there was settlement on “improved administration” in some areas, Wozniak stated “the dearth of progress on tuna, swordfish and local weather change overshadows the progress being made.”
On the finish of the work of the Worldwide Fee for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) this week, international locations agreed on “new measures for the safety of cetaceans, whale sharks and rays mobulides” and the conservation of Atlantic blue sharks, in line with a press launch on Monday.
Sharks and rays face what conservationists name an extinction disaster, with almost two-thirds of coral reef species in danger, in line with a research this 12 months that evaluated knowledge from the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature.
Threatened by overfishing, sharks and rays should be higher protected by governments and fisheries, in line with the Shark Atlantic and Mediterranean League, an advocacy coalition for the development of conservation insurance policies.
The group stated ICCAT’s steps have been constructive however didn’t go far sufficient “to correctly safeguard inherently weak species” like manta and satan rays, in addition to whale and blue sharks.
ICCAT, a grouping of fifty international locations together with a few of the world’s greatest fishing nations, additionally minimize quotas for closely fished blue sharks by 23 p.c.
A brand new inhabitants evaluation has warned that present blue shark catches are “too excessive to make sure long-term sustainability”, in line with the Shark League, which in contrast the short-term impacts of the brand new quota to “a recreation of probability”.
Conservation group Pew Charitable Trusts stated the measures agreed by ICCAT have been “principally disappointing” as fishing nations didn’t adequately fight local weather change or promote safety of different species, reminiscent of North Atlantic swordfish and West Atlantic skipjack tuna.
“After a number of years of constructive progress, ICCAT may have continued its momentum, however didn’t take the anticipated steps to modernize the administration of a few of its most precious fisheries,” stated Pew’s Esther Wozniak.
Though there was settlement on “improved administration” in some areas, Wozniak stated “the dearth of progress on tuna, swordfish and local weather change overshadows the progress being made.”