A team of US scientists and environmentalists have met with Cuban officials to discuss a proposed alliance, including Mexico, to protect the Gulf of Mexico’s declining shark population.
The meetings were a product of both improved US-Cuba relations and concern that only a joint effort by the three nations that share the gulf can protect sharks, whose numbers are said to be down as much as 50% for some species.
Shark populations have fallen worldwide, primarily due to overfishing to satisfy China's demand for shark fin soup, which is rising as China becomes more prosperous, scientists say.
Read the complete story from World Fishing and Aquaculture.