05
Dec 2008 -Rome, Italy: Four commercially
valuable shark species have just been recognized
as being “of conservation concern” under
the international Convention on Migratory
Species.
The listing applies
to northern hemisphere populations of spiny
dogfish, a common ingredient of food staple
fish and chips, and global populations of
Porbeagle shark and both species of mako
shark.
Intense debate saw southern
hemisphere populations of spiny dogfish
excluded from the listing on the agreement
that a comprehensive population review will
be conducted for the next meeting of the
convention.
"WWF welcomes this
listing by the CMS--the first listing by
an international conservation convention
of commercially utilized shark species,”
said Dr Susan Lieberman, director of WWF
International’s Species Programme.
“This shows that the
world community now recognizes that sharks
are over-fished, declining, and worthy of
the kind of conservation concern afforded
to other species."
The sharks have been
listed under Appendix ll of the convention,
which supports co-operation between range
states on conservation plans for listed
species. For migratory species it focuses
attention on the status of the species and
can help trigger other regional and international
initiatives in fisheries management and
trade.
The sharks, which are
among the most valued of shark species for
both meat and fins, suffer from excessive
levels of targeted fishing as well as being
bycatch casualties of other fisheries such
as purse seining and long-lining for tuna.
The slow growth, late
maturity, small litters and long lives of
sharks make them vulnerable to over-exploitation.
Porbeagle sharks gather together, making
them especially easy targets for fishing
– a critical factor in the collapse of their
populations in the 1970s and continuing
failure to demonstrate any lasting recovery.
Listing of all four
species across their entire ranges was proposed
but the porbeagle shark and the compromise
on spiny dogfish were only agreed after
intense negotiation.
WWF has also raised
concerns over declining populations of Mediterranean
bluefin tuna – subject of a recent International
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic
Tunas (ICCAT) decision to continue fishing
at well over scientifically recommended
levels – as a species of concern before
the migratory species convention.
+ More
WWF Signs New Agreement
for African Cetaceans
05 Dec 2008 - Mamadou
Diallo, from the WWF's West African Marine
Ecoregion Programme today signed a new intergovernmental
agreement to conserve the West African Manatee
and Small Whales in Western Africa and Macaronesia.
The conservation instrument
consists of 2 Action Plans for the conservation
of theses species was first adopted by 15
countries in Togo in October, and opened
for signatory by implementing partners today.
Along with WWF, the
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society also
signed the agreement.
More than 30 small cetacean
species will be covered in this agreement,
in an area that stretches from Macaronesia,
through Morocco to South Africa.
The need to conserve
and raise awareness of western Africa's
marine mammals is as pressing as ever. Various
threats, includin:
direct and accidental catch,
coastal development,
pollution and
habitat degradation,
...have caused western African marine mammal
populations to decline rapidly. These issues
require action on a regional, national and
global level.
This agreement can play
a vital role in future conservation efforts
by helping to facilitate transboundary cooperation
and by providing an international platform
to negotiate and coordinate research and
conservation measures.
15 country representatives
signed the agreement in October - Angola,
Benin, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo Brazzaville,
Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon,
Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, Togo).
