Imperiled Mako Sharks Get Spotlight at UN Wildlife Conference

Date: October 24, 2017

Conservationists Urge CMS Parties to Heed Scientists’ Advice for Atlantic Fishing Ban

What: Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Conference of Parties Shark Conservation Side Event.

Who:  Expert representatives from Shark Advocates International and Project AWARE will review the plight of Atlantic makos sharks (listed on CMS Appendix II in 2008) and encourage support for a science-based fishing ban by the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

When:  Tuesday, October 24, 2017, 13:45.

Where:  Manila, Philippine International Conference Center, Room 6.

Why it’s important:  Shortfin mako sharks — among the most valuable and vulnerable animals taken in high seas fisheries — are worse off now than when they were listed under CMS nearly a decade ago. With the Appendix II listing, CMS Parties pledged to cooperate toward regional conservation of mako sharks, yet most countries still do not even limit catch. A new population assessment reveals that North Atlantic shortfin makos are headed for collapse, prompting scientists to recommend that ICCAT adopt a regional ban on mako retention at the annual meeting November 14 -22. The 30 CMS Parties that are also members of ICCAT have an urgent responsibility to stop mako overfishing, in line with new ICCAT scientific advice and CMS commitments made in 2008.

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