The Lost Shark, Carcharhinus obsoletus, is already extinct, and others that are expected to follow soon include four species each of hammerhead and angel sharks, from the world’s most threatened shark families. In spite of all the press that shark conservation has received in the past two decades, no effective protection of sharks has been established, no sharks have been saved, and their decline into extinction is ever more apparent.

High profits versus declining animals

The rising global demand for shark fins, contrasted with the steady depletion of the animals supplying that demand, creates a situation that endangers not only the continuation of shark populations but also the health of the oceans. Sharks, as top and middle predators, are of extremely high ecological importance. The shark fin trade is driven by enormous profits that rival the trade in illegal drugs, and in consumer countries, there is no interest in sustainability and neither the will nor the resources to manage it.

The result is that sharks are now the most valuable catches and are targeted by factory fishing fleets around the world. Fins-attached regulations have resulted in the shark fin industry loading shark meat onto local markets where it is sold under other names. Yet shark meat is not considered good food due to its unpleasant taste, and the high level of accumulated mercury and other toxins. But, with ninety percent of traditional fish stocks severely over-fished, sharks are being used to fill the gaps.

The domination of industry

IUCN reported in 2014  that one-quarter of shark species were at that time facing extinction due to rampant overfishing. Their global study found that the main factors contributing to extinction risk were the size of the animal and the depth at which it lives. Shallow water species are more accessible to fisheries, and therefore at greater risk. However, in spite of the dire picture painted by this and all other scientific studies of shark status done, no effective protection for sharks has been put into place. Lack of data is always cited by fisheries organizations as the reason not to do anything, and the continuing effort to get more data delays to action under current rules.

However, it is clear from an examination of the records that it is simply not possible to get accurate data on the numbers of sharks that remain. The failure of fisheries management which was pinpointed in the 2014 study is increasingly apparent. This is why some researchers are calling for an immediate Appendix I CITES listing for all sharks, manta rays, devil rays and rhino rays.

Europe's initiative

With the western powers joining in the frenzy to profit from the shark fin trade, a European Citizens initiative to stop the trade in Europe is ongoing and a million votes are needed. So if you are European, you can help by voting HERE .

The ocean must be allowed to recover

A global study by the World Bank, Sunken Billions (2009, 2017), found that overfishing has resulted in a loss of about US$83 billion yearly. Thus it is a fishing effort which must be reduced to get the best economic result for solving the global fisheries crisis. Over-exploited fish stocks must be given time to recover, and steps must also be taken to permit the devastating oceanic ecosystems to restore themselves. The World Bank suggests using the subsidies that have encouraged over-fishing in the past to ease the social transition, as millions of fishers must switch to other occupations.

The solution is not to turn to fishing out the top predators because the shark fin trade has made them valuable, as fisheries around the world are doing. If no means are found to end the domination of industry in this respect, the unravelling of the oceanic ecosystems will continue, eventually to the detriment of humanity as well as sharks. No animals can withstand prolonged, unremitting, targeted, commercial hunting--not whales, not turtles, not fish, and certainly not sharks.

(c) Ila France Porcher 2020