Many countries have banned shark finning, i.e. cutting off shark fins. But according to a recent study, this has led to the shark's remaining body being increasingly recycled. Shark meat is also consumed in Europe – in Austria, for example, as “Schillerlocken”.
Despite a series of protection laws, more and more sharks are dying due to fishing. A current estimate assumes that the number of sharks killed by selective hunting or bycatch increased from 76 million to 80 million animals between 2012 and 2019. More than 30 percent were endangered species.
Many countries have banned so-called shark finning, the cutting of shark fins. But according to the study published in the journal “Science”, this led to the shark's remaining body being increasingly recycled.
The effect of protection laws has not yet been verified
“Over the past two decades, sharks have been increasingly recognized as the world's most threatened wildlife and have therefore come under greater scientific and regulatory scrutiny,” writes the research group led by Boris Worm of the University Dalhousie, Canada. Many countries have enacted laws to protect sharks, but their effectiveness has not yet been verified.
The team analyzed available data on shark catches and regulations reported by individual fisheries, countries and regional fisheries management organizations. They supplemented this data with interviews with shark capture experts to create global maps of threats to sharks.
Decline in high seas fishing
The number of sharks killed increased by around five percent worldwide between 2012 and 2019, although several new protection regulations came into force during this period. Scientists have identified the global increase in fishing volume as the main cause of the increase in the number of shark deaths. They also discovered what kind of rules actually help, as senior author Darcy Bradley of the University of California explains: “A complete ban on shark fishing through conservation measures such as shark sanctuaries can be successful and highlight the opportunity to prioritize these and other areas. resource-based conservation measures.”
Scientists have also recorded opposite trends: in deep-sea fishing, the number of sharks killed has fallen by seven percent – probably because fishing companies are trying to obtain eco-labels. In contrast, the number of coastal fisheries – the 200-mile zones within each country – increased by four percent. On average, more than 15 million sharks were killed every year in Indonesia between 2017 and 2019. If we add up the sharks killed in the 200-mile zones of Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, Mauritania and Somalia, then the fishery in these six countries represents 50 percent of all sharks killed worldwide.
Shark fins are considered a delicacy, especially in Asia, which is why only the fins of captured animals are often cut off and the rest of the body is thrown into the sea. APA / AFP / Brochure
Shark meat also sold in Europe
Shark fins are considered a delicacy, especially in Asia, which is why only the fins of captured animals are often cut off and the rest of the body is thrown into the sea. “We show that widespread legislation to prevent shark finning has successfully addressed this wasteful practice, but has failed to reduce overall mortality,” Worm said in a statement from the University of California. Instead, shark meat is increasingly arriving on the market – often mislabeled, so that consumers don't even know they are eating shark, the research group emphasizes.
“Sharks are among the most threatened species in the world. However, the number of dead animals has increased dramatically due to intensive fishing”, criticized the environmental protection organization WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). “We urgently need better controls and we must particularly protect areas that are important for sharks as nurseries or for reproduction”, demanded Simone Niedermüller, marine specialist at WWF Austria. The shark meat trade is not just a problem in Asian countries where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy. “Shark meat is also consumed in Europe – in Austria, for example, as 'Schillerlocken'. But it often ends up hidden on signs under a false name”, warned Niedermüller. (APA/dpa)