Featured Stories

10
Feb
2021

Conservacionistas creen que el veto de España a la venta de marrajo aliviará la sobrepesca

Source: La Voz de Galicia

Celebran la prohibición de las 90 toneladas que los palangreros de superficie capturaron el año pasado.

La organización conservacionista Shark League está convencida de que la decisión que ha tomado el Ministerio de Transición Ecológica español de imponer un cupo cero para la venta de marrajo tendrá consecuencias positivas en la reducción de la sobrepesca de la especie en el Atlántico norte. Y es que, según sostiene la Shark League en un comunicado, España ocupa la primera posición mundial en capturas de marrajo dientuso y es responsable de alrededor de la mitad de los desembarques de ejemplares de la población de ese océano, especialmente diezmada.

Continue reading Conservacionistas creen que el veto de España a la venta de marrajo aliviará la sobrepesca

4
Feb
2021

Shark League Applauds Portugal for Long-Awaited Mako Protection

The new ban on shortfin mako landings from high seas North Atlantic fisheries coincides with similar prohibitions just imposed by Spain. The combined actions of these two fishing powers could just turn the tide for this endangered population.

The Shark League is congratulating the Portuguese government for taking action to protect one of the world’s most valuable and threatened shark species, the shortfin mako. A new moratorium on landing applies to shortfin makos caught in North Atlantic high seas fisheries, the source of most of Portugal’s mako catch. News of the ban comes just as even broader mako protections by Spain are coming to light. Because these two countries are responsible for ~65% of the total landings of North Atlantic makos, their combined actions have great potential to stem serious overfishing and save this particularly depleted population from collapse.

Continue reading Shark League Applauds Portugal for Long-Awaited Mako Protection

1
Feb
2021

Spain Protects Endangered Mako Sharks

New Landings Ban by Top Shark Fishing Power Could Take a Big Bite Out of Overfishing

Press Release available in English and Spanish

London, February 1, 2021. Conservationists are heralding action by the Spanish government to protect one of the world’s most valuable and threatened shark species, the shortfin mako. A new moratorium on landing, sale, and trade applies to the particularly depleted North Atlantic population and has potential to put a significant dent in serious, long-term overfishing.

Continue reading Spain Protects Endangered Mako Sharks

21
Dec
2020

Overdue EU Action Sets Up Endangered Mako Sharks for New Year’s Reprieve

After fisheries officials fail, environmental obligations offer hope for 2021 landings crack down

Brussels. December 21, 2020. Conservationists are closing the year with hope for endangered North Atlantic shortfin mako sharks as EU level decisions point to unprecedented 2021 limits for some of the world’s top mako fishing countries, particularly Spain and Portugal. Just after the European Commission blocked an international North Atlantic ban and proposed excessive EU mako quotas, EU Member State scientists reviewing mako obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have issued an opinion that points to EU Member States banning North Atlantic shortfin mako imports, including those introduced from the high seas by EU fishing vessels.

Continue reading Overdue EU Action Sets Up Endangered Mako Sharks for New Year’s Reprieve

14
Dec
2020

EU and US Block Vital Protections for Endangered Mako Sharks

Available in French and Spanish.

North Atlantic ban championed by Canada, Senegal, and the UK thwarted in virtual ICCAT meeting

London, UK. December 14th, 2020. Conservationists are outraged that the European Union and the United States – despite long promoting science-based shark conservation – once again served as the main obstacles to urgently needed protections for mako sharks through annual negotiations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Canada, Senegal, and – in their first official act as an independent ICCAT Party — the United Kingdom proposed a ban on retention of seriously overfished North Atlantic shortfin makos, as ICCAT scientists have long advised. The proposal earned support from Taiwan and Gabon. The EU and US, however, refused to give up on exceptions for continuing to land the endangered species. As a result, this year’s mako negotiations end with no new conservation measures. The next opportunity for Atlantic-wide action is July 2021 through a special intersessional meeting. ICCAT scientists estimate this population could take five decades to recover, even if fishing were to stop immediately. Lack of consensus allows unsustainable fishing on this shared population to continue.

Continue reading EU and US Block Vital Protections for Endangered Mako Sharks

13
Dec
2020

ICCAT 2020 Joint NGO Closing Statement – Plenary

The Shark Trust – with support from Ecology Action Centre, Project AWARE, Shark League, The Ocean Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife, Human Society International, and Sciaena – is exceptionally disappointed that Parties have once again delayed urgently needed measures to reverse declines in Endangered shortfin mako populations, despite prioritizing this issue as the only potential shark conservation action of the 2020 virtual negotiations. This latest failure represents blatant disregard for SCRS advice at the expense of one of the ocean’s most valuable and vulnerable shark species. We regret that we must amplify previous warnings about inaction exacerbating risk for stock collapses that are irreparable in our lifetimes.

Continue reading ICCAT 2020 Joint NGO Closing Statement – Plenary