High Time for Best Practice Enforcement Standards
The 24th annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) takes place in Limassol, Cyprus, from November 11–18, 2024. ICCAT members will convene to discuss critical issues in Atlantic fisheries including shark conservation.
Twenty years ago, ICCAT became the first Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) to ban finning, sparking a global trend for these fundamental shark safeguards. Today, ICCAT lags behind other RFMOs in finning ban enforcement because of an outdated monitoring method that defies expert advice. By requiring that sharks be landed with their fins still attached, ICCAT can once again lead in efforts to end wasteful finning.
Why Keep the Fins On?
Fin-to-carcass weight ratios, like the one ICCAT relies on for finning ban enforcement, have proven too
complicated and lenient to be effective. Most Parties support strengthening the ICCAT finning ban by requiring that sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached. This best practice is the only foolproof means to ensure that finning has not occurred.
Fins-naturally-attached policies can:
- greatly reduce governments’ enforcement burden;
- prevent high-grading (mixing low value shark bodies with high value fins);
- facilitate collection of species-specific shark catch data.
By adopting a fins-naturally-attached requirement, ICCAT can set a new standard for preventing shark finning on the high seas. We urge Parties to usher in a stronger, simpler ICCAT finning ban by ensuring the adoption of ICCAT Proposal PA4-806 this year.
Downlad the Factsheet in English, French and Spanish.
Join Us at the ICCAT 2024 Shark League Reception
During the 24th annual ICCAT meeting, the Shark League is hosting an evening reception to share information about the fins-naturally-attached method and provide an opportunity for ICCAT delegates to hear from champion governments on the practical benefits of this approach.
We invite all delegates to join us.
