Despite claims to the contrary by Fisheries Departments worldwide, there is a wealth of scientific evidence that populations of many shark species are in decline, with the shark fin trade being an important driver. There is a solid scientific consensus that many sharks and indeed other cartilaginous fishes, such as skates and rays, are in severe trouble, and there is emerging evidence that this could be causing wider disruptions in ocean ecosystems.

We, the undersigned believe, in the interests of both the global marine environment and the public that depends on healthy ocean ecosystems, that decision makers should be apprised of the full facts of the shark fin issue, most specifically that:

The shark fin trade, as it currently stands, is NOT sustainable. Peer-reviewed scientific research has shown that the fins of tens of millions of sharks passed through the shark fin trade in 2000. Since then there has been no accurate estimation of the trade volume and corresponding number of sharks killed, making it impossible for the industry to state that the trade is sustainable. Declines in shark populations have been reported from many locations worldwide, and many areas – like the Caribbean, for example – are heavily impacted. Individual populations, such as oceanic whitetip sharks in the Gulf of Mexico and hammerheads in the Mediterranean, have experienced severe declines. These statistics are not mere speculation but are backed up by published analyses in academic journals.

Shark fins are by far the most valuable part of the shark, which encourages many fisheries to target them or retain them even when they are caught incidentally, rather than releasing them alive. The shark fin trade should therefore be viewed as a major driver of global shark fishing activities, which are often unmanaged and conducted in an unsustainable manner.

The UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) does NOT adequately protect endangered shark species. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 82 species of sharks on its Red List of Threatened Species as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered. Yet, CITES regulates trade of just three of these threatened shark species. Despite meeting the scientific criteria for listing, numerous shark species have been denied CITES protection because politics prevented them from receiving the two-thirds of the votes necessary for a CITES listing. A larger number of species are considered threatened and are therefore prohibited in particular countries or by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. CITES tends to lag behind domestic and regional management bodies because of the 2/3 majority requirement and should not therefore be used as the benchmark for whether a species is under threat.

In short, the overwhelming body of scientific data supports the urgent need to focus on adequate conservation and management strategies rather than maintaining unsustainable levels of fishing. Given that sharks play an important role in maintaining the delicate balance of the world’s marine ecosystems, and that many species of sharks are now threatened or near threatened with extinction, there is a rare opportunity to make a significant impact on an issue of global importance by helping to regulate the burgeoning international trade in shark fins.

Yours sincerely,

Dorsal fin of a white shark (copyright WSCT)

After Bruce came back from his eye-opening adventures in Stewart Island, he and Alex and a few other Trust members went to the Shark Fin Free Auckland meeting in April. SFFA have only been around for a few months, but they’ve hit the ground running with their activism. They can be seen around Auckland handing out flyers with facts about sharks and shark finning (look for the awesome shark suit!), and they were featured on 60 Minutes on TV3 a few months ago.

SFFA’s members are diverse and passionate about their cause – they seek to educate the New Zealand public about the shark finning that happens in New Zealand waters, and are working toward getting the legislation changed so that shark finning is no longer legal, as has already been done in countries such as Australia, the United States, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, and the European Union.

SFFA is a great organisation, and we hope that the White Shark Conservation Trust can work with them on some great projects in the future. Thanks for inviting us, SFFA!

While this may be true, the paper’s data is based largely on a mechanical behaviour modelling analysis of the sea lion exclusion devices (SLEDs) installed in the trawl nets, which were implemented and improved upon over the last ten years. The paper does not, however, examine the possibility of indirect effects of squid fishing in their hunting and breeding grounds.

Bruce Robertson of the University of Otago states in Newton’s article that research done suggests that the opposite is true. Research papers by WD Bowen and the Department of Conservation (DoC) suggest that the squid fisheries in the territory are a possible cause of the decline in NZ sea lion numbers, though more research needs to be done to investigate just how much influence, both direct (by trawling) and indirect (by resource competition and disturbance). While there is little research that has been done about the foraging distribution of nursing females and juveniles and there is only limited knowledge of their diet, it is also uncertain whether or not population decline may also be related to their sensitivity to disturbance, weather, or any other unknown pressures untested. Bowen states that it would be more effective to evaluate the possibility of multiple factors in population decline, of which one may be the presence of the squid fisheries in the hunting and foraging areas in which the sea lions live.

So how can we ascertain what is accurate, and what is embellishment or incomplete? Well, one needs to consider the costs and benefits of each conclusion, and who stands to gain, and who stands to lose, with respect to the conclusions reached in each paper. In addition to that, who is funding the research and may or may not have a vested interest in the outcome of the results is also relevant, as is for whom the paper is being produced. In this case, MAF’s economic interest in the squid fisheries would suffer if the research they produced pointed to a correlation between declining NZ sea lion populations and the squid fisheries, since the NZ sea lion is nationally critical and therefore protected under the Endangered Species Act. The initial position paper published at the end of last year has undergone a series of revisions, most of which are available on MAF’s website. It is important to note that the MAF paper’s argument states that there shouldn’t be any restrictions on the NZ sea lion bycatch, because it isn’t common. If the bycatch number is as minimal as their research states, what then is the harm in having a limitation? By their calculations, their bycatch is minimal and would therefore not be an issue, so their argument against a bycatch limitation is moot.

For all the information that is given in the MAF paper about population modelling, SLED escape modelling, survival modelling in relation to the strike rate, the monetary value of the squid fishing industry, and many other theoretical models, what it doesn’t say can be illuminating as well. The picture is incomplete; fisheries can have a negative impact on non-target species’ populations even if their bycatch rates are minimal, and the MAF paper reflects this hole in their investigations. The scope of the MAF paper is purely limited to direct interactions with the NZ sea lions, and ignores indirect factors mentioned in Bowen and DoC that could be relevant. If one only reads the MAF paper, one gets the impression that the SQU6T fishery has no impact whatsoever on the sea lion population, and their decline in numbers, although the fishery and the sea lions are fishing for the same resource in the same area, is purely coincidental.

The interests of DoC and other conservation researchers are in the protection of the environment and the species that exist in that environment; in this instance, the NZ Sea Lion is a protected species, and therefore its welfare is of paramount importance to DoC. Therefore, it is within DoC’s best interest to examine all the possible phenomena that could be affecting the species, hence the research indicating that indirect effects of the fisheries could potentially be a correlating factor in the decline of the sea lion population. The limitation of this research is, naturally, budget. Unfortunately the costs of undertaking a multi-pronged research project can be much more than the limitations of a small government department.

The most important thing we can do is continue to examine the studies that come out, and read them with a critical eye; it is up to the public to demand transparency and ethical research from all our government departments, and we can do that by objecting to insincere science, and supporting honest research.

Crossposted at Diverkat

Contact Mike Rose here to let him know his article is a breath of fresh air (or fresh seawater, if you like).

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year

From the

White Shark Conservation Trust

Beached Young White Shark Release

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Last year, although we took samples from three juvenile hammerheads and several school sharks, no white sharks were caught by the tournament anglers or by us.   This year was far more successful we are pleased to say with a juvenile 2.4 meter female being hooked by one of the tournament boats and passed to us for tagging.

The shark was named Marina after Marina Dmitri, a Trust member whom joined us on the day.  She was tagged with both a PAT tag and a SPOT tag before being released.

Clinton Duffy fastens the SPOT Tag to Marina's Dorsal Fin

Marina Dmitri holds the dorsal fin to prevent the tag from being damaged against the side of the boat

The whole process took a little over 20 minutes.

The SPOT tag is activated whenever the wet dry sensor detects it is out of the water and the PAT tag is programmed to stay attached to the shark for a year (365 days post-release). The first signal was received from Marina’s SPOT tag on Monday 7th Feb. Although the quality of the position it gave was unreliable it was a clear indication she has survived capture and release. Several high quality locations from outside the Manukau Harbour followed later the same day.  

Marina joins Kate, the first white shark we were involved with tagging (Kate was Tagged with a PAT tag off the Gisborne coast on an expedition with DoC and Surfit Charters in 2009.  Unfortunately Kate’s tag failed and came off 14 days after it was deployed.  We hope Marina’s two tags are working well and will give data for the next 9-12 months as they are programmed to do!

We would like to express our thanks to Clinton and DoC for asking us along again to help, and to the Counties Sport Fishing Club for inviting DoC to shadow the tournament.

We would like to once again thank our sponsors for their support, and all the riders and support crew who helped make the day the success it was.  Photos will be posted this week.