The global shark population is shrinking despite efforts to end mass killings for their fins, researchers say in a report that shows more needs to be done to protect the species.
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Between 2012 and 2019, the number of sharks killed by fishing rose from around 76 million per year to more than 80 million, they reported in the journal Science.
At least 25 million of these belonged to endangered species.
Sharks have been around for 400 million years, but the growing appetite for their fins – a valuable commodity in Asian markets – has pushed several species to the brink of extinction.
Today, 70% of countries and jurisdictions have protections prohibiting shark finning. Large predators are thrown into the sea and die after their fins are removed.
But some of those rules, introduced in the 1990s, have had unintended consequences that are killing even more sharks, new data shows.
Fin removal has declined slightly over the past two decades, but policies requiring fishermen to land sharks whole have inadvertently boosted the market for shark meat.
“These measures were not the magic solution we were hoping for,” study author Laurenne Schiller told AFP.
The researchers collected data on fishing regulations and shark mortality for three years.
They were surprised to learn “how widespread the trade in shark meat, oil and cartilage is, and how sharks appear in many products without consumers noticing,” said Boris Worm, the study's lead author.
Be more targeted
Due to the decline in the fin trade and the decline of large sharks, fisheries are now catching smaller sharks more frequently.
In areas with the highest shark mortality rates, researchers found greater use of gillnets (nets suspended in the water) and trawls (heavy nets dragged across the seafloor).
Even though sharks are top predators, they are very endangered, argues Schiller. “Sharks spent more than 99% of their time on Earth in an ocean without humans, so they were unprepared to face us.”
However, sharks are vital to the health of the oceans.
“The disappearance of these species can disrupt the balance of the marine ecosystem,” she said.
However, one in three sharks worldwide is threatened with extinction.
However, Worm stressed that many countries and territories have already established protected areas to protect one of the world's oldest species.
Nevertheless, risks to coastal sharks appear to be worsening worldwide, a conclusion also supported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“We need to take more targeted action to reduce shark mortality,” said Schiller.