European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Joe Borg commented, “These proposals show that the EU takes the protection of sharks very seriously. I am glad that we have been able to propose three far-reaching measures for ICCAT with the unanimous support of the Member States. I call on all ICCAT contracting parties to join us in acting to secure the future of these vital members of the Atlantic ecosystem before it is too late.”
The first EU proposal deals with thresher and hammerheaded sharks. It calls for the banning of directed fisheries on all species in these two families, which are two of the most endangered species in the world. It would oblige operators to release all sharks of these species which are captured accidentally, and to record all such encounters in their log books. It would also ban operators from retaining on board, transhipping or landing any part or whole carcasses of these species. Given the high survival rate for sharks which are caught and released, the result is a coherent set of measures which can effectively reduce fishing mortality on thresher and hammerhead species to close to zero.
The second EU proposal outlines a series of steps which should lead, by the end of 2009, to the adoption of a coherent global management regime for porbeagle throughout the Atlantic Ocean. ICES has advised no fishing on porbeagle in the North East Atlantic, and this is already reflected in the Commission’s proposal to close all fisheries on this highly endangered species in EU waters. The EU proposal would build on the joint ICCAT-ICES meeting planned for 2009 to further assess the condition of porbeagle stocks throughout the Atlantic, and in which scientific advisers from other concerned Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) will be invited to participate. Immediately following this, the EU proposes that a joint meeting of Chairs of concerned RFMOs should be convened to examine the possibility of adopting compatible management measures for these stocks. The Commission believes that because of the alarming state of Atlantic porbeagle, it is vital to avoid a piecemeal approach and to ensure a high level of coherence between actions in different areas. The RFMOs concerned, in addition to ICCAT, are the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation, and the South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation.
The third EU proposal concerns blue shark and shortfin mako shark, which though less at risk than the species covered by the other two proposals, remain highly vulnerable to overfishing. The EU proposes that fishing effort on both stocks should be frozen at 2008 levels, and that catches of shortfin mako sharks should be limited to the average catch level for the period 2005-2007. No new licences or fishing opportunities for either species should be granted. ICCAT contracting parties would be invited to provide data which can help identify spawning and nursery grounds to the ICCAT scientific committee. These provisions would apply for three years, until the next scientific assessment of the stock by ICCAT’s advisers.
The EU is committed to ensuring adequate levels of protection are in place to secure the future of vulnerable shark species which play a vital role in many ecosystems worldwide. The current proposals to ICCAT are entirely in keeping with the spirit of the EU Action Plan on Sharks which the Commission will be proposing early in 2009.
