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| NOAA |
Spiny dogfish are dangerously popular with fish and
chips fans. |
By Rebecca Regnery
I am in the Netherlands trying to make the waters a little bit safer for the sharks. Yes, that's right—safer for sharks. I am participating in an international conference that will determine which species are so threatened that they need protection from international trade.
Two proposals to protect shark species—the porbeagle and the spiny dogfish—ravaged by the commercial fishing industry were recently narrowly defeated. But they may have another chance before the meeting is over, especially the dogfish.
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Update |
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 June 15, 2007: The proposal to protect spiny dogfish was brought up for a second vote and rejected by the CITES delegates. The proposal to protect porbeagles did not receive a second vote.
The battle for shark protection is not over, though. The HSUS/HSI will continue to pursue national and international safeguards from overfishing, finning, shark tournaments, and other threats. |
Shamefully Short History of Shark Protection
The The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International have a team here at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a trade treaty that has been signed by more than 170 nations. While CITES has been in effect since 1973, this is only the third time sharks have been candidates for protection.
I promoted shark protection proposals at the 12th CITES meeting in 2002, where the whale and basking sharks "earned" the distinction of being the first marine fish to warrant CITES protection. I celebrated at the 13th meeting when we achieved similar success for the great white shark in 2004.
If this year's spiny dogfish proposal is approved, it would be the first time a commercially valuable shark species was protected by CITES. (The dogfish is often sold as "rock salmon" or "huss" in British fish and chips shops and as smoked fish in Germany.)
United for Species Protection
As members of the Species Survival Network, The HSUS and HSI are joined by a formidable group of scientific and policy experts working for non-profit organizations from around the world. The SSN is working for animals among all the major issues at CITES: ivory trade, trophy hunting, whaling, the fur trade, and—yes—sharks.
The work is hectic and exhausting but well worth it. Since all 170-plus member nations must abide by it, a single CITES decision can affect untold numbers of animals.
Those who want to exploit animals without restrictions, such as Safari Club International and the misleadingly named IWMC—World Conservation Trust, also attend these conferences in full force. They fight to erode species protection both at home and abroad, so our goals are to secure past achievements and to fight for increased protections as more species join the march towards extinction.
Those who oppose international protection measures for sharks argue that regional fisheries management organizations should oversee shark protection. I believe this is a blatant ploy to make sure shark protections remain, well … toothless.
Regional fisheries have not been able to stop the fishing industry from rapidly depleting the oceans of fish and killing other marine creatures like sharks in the process (these deaths are referred to with the innocuous term "by-catch"). Most of these organizations have little means to enforce the weak management measures they do adopt, while some have no enforcement power at all.
Still, plenty of decision makers at CITES seem ready to relinquish responsibility to these regional agencies.
There's Still Time
So I am here to advocate for the sharks. We are providing national delegations with information on increasing threats to these extremely vulnerable animals, including pollution, climate change, tournaments and international trade.
There's still time. Decisions that were made in daily meetings are readdressed at the end of the meeting, which will be in the next couple days. I and my colleagues haven't given up hope that sharks will have a second chance here. This time, we hope, member countries will vote to take a bite out of overexploitation and make international waters safer for sharks.
Rebecca Regnery is the Program Manager for Oceans and Wildlife Protections, Humane Society International and the co-chair of the Species Survival Network sea turtle working group.
