Oceanic whitetip shark Archives

Western Pacific Scientists Support No Jeopardy Determination for Oceanic Whitetip Sharks Caught in Region’s Bottomfish Fisheries

June 17, 2022 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) supported part of a draft bottomfish fishery biological opinion (BiOp) that concluded fisheries in Hawai‘i, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence or recovery of oceanic whitetip (OWT) sharks. The BiOp is part of a formal consultation process that was triggered in 2018 after the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed the sharks as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

“We appreciate that the 3-year review rendered a no jeopardy opinion and fully concur with this conclusion,” said SSC Chair James Lynch. “No need exists for further restrictions on these fisheries.”

Bottomfish fisheries in the Western Pacific Region are small (thousands of pounds caught annually vs. millions of pounds caught in pelagic fisheries), and provide fish mainly to local markets in the four areas. OWT interactions with the bottomfish fisheries are rare, as the fishermen target fish at 300 to 1200 feet, whereas OWT sharks’ preferred habitat is in the upper 500 feet of the water column in the open ocean. The draft BiOp analyzes the potential impact of one OWT mortality every five years in each of the areas. This represents less than 0.0001% of the OWT population estimate of more than 775,000 in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

The draft BiOp includes a reasonable and prudent measure (RPM) that requires NMFS to monitor and report on total estimated OWT shark interactions in the bottomfish fisheries. RPMs are non-discretionary measures that are necessary and appropriate to minimize the impacts of incidental take.

While the SSC recognized the need for improved species identification and fishery information, it found the RPM was neither reasonable nor prudent for OWT sharks. Impacts to the species are minimal, and monitoring itself does not reduce impacts of bottomfish fisheries. The SSC also recommended any monitoring of OWT interactions be integrated into existing programs, as it would not be feasible to design an independent monitoring program to detect rare events.

The draft BiOp is one of three outstanding from NMFS, with the others pertaining to the Hawai‘i deep-set longline and American Samoa longline fisheries. The Council will consider the SSC’s review, along with input from the Council’s regional Advisory Panels, at its meeting next week.

The SSC also discussed a NMFS update on the review of the agency’s Serious Injury Determination Policy. NMFS uses the policy to evaluate whether the outcome of a marine mammal interaction with a fishery is likely to lead to a mortality of the animal, such as in the case of false killer whales (FKWs) that may be accidentally hooked and released alive in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery.

The SSC recommended that NMFS consider hook type as key information in determining whether an interaction outcome will be categorized as a “serious injury,” which is defined as any injury that likely results in mortality. Under the existing policy, location of hooking and amount of trailing gear left on the animal are some of the information used to determine the degree of injury, but not hook type.

The Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery has been required to use “weak” circle hooks since 2013 that are intended to straighten to facilitate FKWs to escape without trailing gear. In general, the shape of the circle hooks makes it more likely for the animal to become hooked along the edge of the mouth rather than internally.

Lip-hookings are considered less detrimental to the animal than hooks in the jaw or ones that are swallowed. In 2021, six out of the 15 FKW interactions recorded by federal observers onboard the Hawai‘i deep-set longline vessels had the hook or the crimp immediately above the hook visible around the mouth. However, out of the six, five were categorized under the existing policy as a serious injury.

NMFS’s proposed revision of the Serious Injury Determination Policy is expected to be made available for public comment during summer 2022.

Hawaii longliners convert gear to reduce whitetip shark bycatch

May 27, 2022 — Hawaii’s deep-set longline fleet is completing its changeover from wire leaders to nylon monofilament, a process that fishermen started on their own and is expected to reduce bycatch and mortality of threatened oceanic whitetip sharks by 30 percent.

A new federal regulation effective May 31 will prohibit the use of wire leaders in the fishery, formally instituting the industry-led initiative.

Wire leaders have been used so hooked fish can’t break off, and to make gear safer for fishermen. But even the sharp-toothed oceanic whitetip sharks can’t bite through them, meaning fishermen must release them, a dangerous process for both fish and fishermen.

The Hawaii Longline Association, representing tuna longline fishermen in the area, took the initiative to stop using wire leaders when deep-set longline fishing when its members voluntarily phased out wire leaders starting in November 2020, according to HLA Executive Director Eric Kingma.

“Our members—which include all of the Hawaii-based longline fleet of around 145 vessels—don’t want to catch sharks,” Kingma said in a joint statement with NMFS. “While the amount of fishing effort by Hawaii vessels is small compared with foreign fleets, we continue to work with our members and researchers on innovative methods to minimize the impacts of our fishery on these sharks and other protected species.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Declining species of shark added to endangered species list

January 31, 2018 — The federal government says the oceanic whitetip shark will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act to help the species recover.

Scientists say the sharks have declined by 80 percent to 90 percent in the Pacific Ocean since the 1990s. They’ve fallen 50 percent to 85 percent in the Atlantic Ocean since the 1950s.

Conservationists blame commercial fishing and demand for their fins.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

NOAA Fisheries Proposes a Threatened Listing Determination for the Oceanic Whitetip Shark Under the Endangered Species Act

December 29, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries has completed a comprehensive status review under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) in response to a petition from Defenders of Wildlife to list the species. Based on the best scientific and commercial information available, including the status review report (Young et al., 2016), and after taking into account efforts being made to protect the species, we have determined that the oceanic whitetip shark warrants listing as a threatened species. We conclude that the oceanic whitetip shark is likely to become endangered throughout all or a significant portion of its range within the foreseeable future. Any protective regulations determined to be necessary and advisable for the conservation of the species under ESA section 4(d) would be proposed in a subsequent Federal Register announcement. Should the proposed listing be finalized, we would also designate critical habitat for the species, to the maximum extent prudent and determinable. We solicit information to assist in this listing determination, the development of proposed protective regulations, and the designation of critical habitat in the event this proposed listing determination is finalized.

See the full release at NOAA