Two items – the Shark Trust Campaign & the Outcomes of the Convention on Migratory Species meeting 

Shark Trust – No Limits Campaign – Leading shark charity calls for Europe to embed a ‘culture of sustainability’ in shark fisheries

On Good Friday, millions of Britons will witness the extraordinary sight of scores of sharks feeding off a floating whale carcass in UK waters. In ‘Britain’s Sharks’, the second part of a new prime-time ITV documentary, viewers will see Ben Fogle and Ellie Harrison come face to face with more than a hundred Blue Sharks that call British waters home for part of the year.

Yet despite the large numbers of Blue Sharks seen in the film, this is a species with an uncertain future, fished in extraordinary numbers without any catch limits or management. The Shark Trust, a UK-based charity that works globally to safeguard the future of sharks, warns that while they may appear abundant now, populations could soon become threatened if uncontrolled fishing continues.

The Trust’s No Limits? campaign demands an end to uncontrolled shark fishing and the charity is calling for European nations to take a leading role in adopting sustainable management practices.

As it stands, Blue Sharks and other No Limits? species – Shortfin Mako, Tope, smoothhounds and catsharks – account for over 97% of reported Atlantic shark landings, which amounts to hundreds of thousands of tonnes, representing many millions of sharks each year. The Shark Trust’s No Limits? campaign highlights the urgent need to introduce science-based catch limits, ensuring all shark fisheries are managed for sustainability, securing the future of species and ensuring that sights, such as those filmed by the ITV crew, can be witnessed for generations to come.

Paul Cox, Managing Director of the Shark Trust, says, “No limits on sharks makes no sense. It’s estimated that 10 to 20 million Blue Sharks are caught each year.  Is this sustainable? Probably not but without catch limits we can’t even begin to manage for a sustainable future for these beautiful and vital sharks.”

The top four European shark fishing nations are Spain, Portugal, France and the UK who, between them, account for 95% of the recorded landings in the EU. The Shark Trust sees the engagement of these nations as key to achieving its aims in Europe.

Director of Conservation, Ali Hood, says, “Our No Limits? campaign has been really well received in the UK, people can see the sense in managing fisheries for sharks.  Europe can play a uniquely influential role in establishing a culture of sustainability for shark fisheries management, a essential tep towards safeguarding the future of sharks.

“What we have to do next is to take No Limits? to Europe, gaining support from citizens in other nations as we have in the UK.  Our Crowdfunder campaign that we are launching off the back of the TV show is aimed at enabling us to do that through a series of pop-up events in key capital cities.”

The Crowdfunder campaign –  www.crowdfunder.co.uk/sharktrust – offers ocean lovers a range of unique rewards in return for supporting the Shark Trust to raise funds for the European campaign. They aim to take the No Limits? campaign into the capitals of the four major shark fishing nations, engaging the public and securing political support for the EU to deliver effective shark management. In October, the Shark Trust will meet with politicians in Brussels where they will call on Europe to take a leading role in the reform of shark fishing, ensuring that limits are set for European fleets and to maintain a proactive position in high seas fisheries negotiations.

Sustainable fisheries management features strongly in a new 10-year global strategy that was launched by the Shark Trust as part of a global partnership in Costa Rica in February. The Strategy sets out a roadmap to secure a substantial improvement in the conservation status of sharks and rays by 2025.  Identifying a ‘window of opportunity’ the partnership highlights the need to mix protection for the most vulnerable species with sustainable fisheries management and responsible trade and consumption of shark products as the most pragmatic and effective approach for conservation.  The report including details of the partnership can be found at www.sharktrust.org/global_strategy

Viewers of of the show are urged to join the fight to safeguard shark species and help the Shark Trust with its No Limits? campaign. In addition to the Crowdfunder appeal, the No Limits? website contains more information on the topic and a petition: www.nolimitsnofuture.org

22 Shark and Ray Species Added to Scope of Global Agreement – Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Progress on adding shark and ray species

Signatories to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Sharks have unanimously agreed to add twenty-two species of sharks and rays to the MoU scope, and to accept the applications of six conservation groups as Cooperating Partners in fulfilling MoU objectives. Conservationists are, in turn, calling on countries to take concrete national and international actions to fulfill new commitments to the imperiled species. New commitments and partners agreed by Signatories to Convention on Migratory Species Shark MoU” The CMS 2010 Shark MoU is the first global instrument dedicated to the conservation of migratory sharks and rays. The addition of 22 species (listed on the CMS Appendices in 2011 and 2014) brings the total number of species under the MoU’s scope to 29: white shark, porbeagle, spiny dogfish, basking shark, both makos, all three threshers, two species of hammerheads, whale shark, all nine devil rays, both mantas, all five sawfishes, and the silky shark. The number of MoU Signatories rose to 40 (39 national governments and the EU) with this week’s addition of Portugal. To read more click here.