Continue to #Rally4Makos with the new Mako Summer Holiday Postcards

It’s summer in the North Atlantic and, even though many EU and US policy makers might be on holiday, the #Rally4Makos continues!

While there’s increasing support for the ICCAT* scientific advice to ban retention of Endangered North Atlantic shortfin mako sharks, the EU and US are still standing in the way of an international agreement by insisting on exceptions that jeopardize population recovery.

Pressure from EU Member States is key to shifting the EU position, but so far has been disappointingly lacking. Meanwhile, new US ICCAT officials could use reminders of the Biden Administration’s commitment to science.

It’s essential that we keep mako shark protection on the agenda of EU and US decision makers throughout the summer! Please help us ensure their social media feeds and in-trays are teeming with makos!

Send a Shark League summer holiday postcard to your government officials:

Urge them to support scientists’ repeated advice for a complete North Atlantic shortfin mako retention ban as the cornerstone of a new measure to rebuild the population.

2 Ways to Send a Digital Mako Summer Holiday Postcard:

  1. Click To Tweet: Choose a card below and click on a design to Tweet a postcard to Fisheries and Environment Ministers in your home country.
  2. Download the GIFs and use your own message to share on social media. You can also search Shark League in the GIF Twitter search box to add a Mako Postcard of your choice.

The Obstacles

The European Union and the United States are obstructing international agreement on urgently needed mako shark protections. In July, Canada and seven other ICCAT Parties proposed a ban on retaining seriously overfished North Atlantic shortfin makos, as scientists have long advised. The EU and US are refusing to go along, insisting on exceptions for continued landings of the endangered species, despite receiving only opposition in response. The resulting delay in consensus allows unsustainable fishing on this shared population to continue.

Click To Tweet this Postcard to Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner
Click to Tweet this Postcard to Gina M. Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce

EU Member State Mako Bans

In early 2021, Spain and Portugal announced a ban on new shortfin mako restrictions, including bans on landings from high seas North Atlantic fisheries. These actions by two top mako fishing countries could turn the tide for this endangered population if they are maintained and expanded.

Click to Tweet this Postcard to Teresa Ribera, Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition
Click to Tweet this Postcard to João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Portugal Environment Minister

Potentially Pivotal

All EU Member States have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in mako protection if they actively urge the European Commission to change course and heed  expert advice for a North Atlantic ban..

Click to Tweet this Postcard to Julia Klöckner, German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture
Click to Tweet this Postcard to Stefano Patuanelli, Italy’s Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies
Click to Tweet this Postcard to Annick Girardin, France’s Minister of the Sea
Click to Tweet this Postcard to Jennie Nilsson, Sweden’s Minister for Rural Affairs

A Role for Everyone

Just about every North Atlantic fishing country, regardless of its mako landings, can help to secure an ICCAT agreement stringent enough to save makos. Check the Mako Champions Map and the EU Member States Map to see where your country stands on the science-based ICCAT mako limits proposed by Canada, Senegal, and others. And then send one of the postcards below.

Check the Mako Champion Map and click on a country to send a Postcard
Check the Mako Champion Map and click on a country to send a Postcard

Visit our Resources for more ways to #MakeTime4Makos this summer. For more background information about the dangerous decline of Atlantic shortfin makos, check out this Q&A information sheet.

Happy Summer Holidays from the Shark League!

*ICCAT: The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas