Saving Seafood

Mako Shark Populations Take Half-Century to Recover from Overfishing and Bycatch Kills

January 27, 2020 — An essay in the January newsletter of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association claimed that populations of shortfin mako sharks — a popular sport fish and a tasty offering on local menus — are “in crisis,” with fewer and smaller mako sharks being caught compared to 25 years ago.

The piece — on pages 8, 31, and 32 in the association’s newsletter — written by Long Island, N.Y., attorney Charles Witek, a recreational fisherman who identifies himself as a consultant on fisheries management issues, also criticizes the measures adopted to reduce shark mortality and the long timeline for rebuilding the population.

“Even if such reductions could be achieved, it will take about 50 years to return the shortfin mako stock to something resembling a healthy level of abundance,” Witek wrote. “Which, in turn, means that I and probably most of the people reading this article, will never see a healthy mako population in our lifetimes.”

Although shark biologists in southern New England disagree that makos are “in crisis,” those surveyed agree that the species is being overfished and that, even if targeted fishing for the species around the world was eliminated entirely, it would likely take at least several decades for the species to recover to healthy levels.

Read the full story at EcoRI

Conservation groups criticize US, EU for ICCAT inaction on shortfin mako sharks

November 27, 2019 — The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas ended its annual meeting on Monday, 25 November, with members unable to approve a recovery plan conservationists believe is essential for the long-term survival of shortfin mako sharks.

At least two groups pinned the blame on the United States and the European Union. During the weeklong meeting in Mallorca, Spain, it was decided that the commission would continue to use guidelines passed two years ago that some fear will lead to further population declines.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Our Fishing Is Driving Sharks To Extinction

August 1, 2019 — In a world so big, it may be unfathomable to think our human touch has reached every corner. Yet our mentality of overabundance has leeched and tainted even the remotest parts of our oceans. In a ground-breaking Nature report, a team of more than 150 scientists have come together to showcase just how our major high seas fishing activities impact sharks.

There are over 500 species of shark worldwide and many large ones call the open ocean home. While it may be hard for them to find food in this vast blue desert, our technology has made it so we can find large quantities of it in very little time. Fishing fleets are the biggest threat to all sharks, but especially large ones as they account for over half of all identified shark catch globally in target fisheries or as bycatch. This unsustainable trend has paved the way for declines in some population numbers, like the regional declines in abundance of shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus).  While scientists knew that sharks and fishing fleets shared the same areas, they didn’t know just how much fishing takes place in areas where sharks aggregate. This was crucial evidence needed to fight for catch limits in the high seas, where there is currently little to no management or enforcement for sharks.

Read the full story at Forbes