The IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group
Shark Trade Limits Endorsed by European Union
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Shark Alliance Press Release: Shark Trade Limits Endorsed by European Union
Shark Trade Limits Endorsed by European Union
The European Union Member States have decided to support Germany's proposals to provide protection for the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias and porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Spiny dogfish are fished primarily for their meat which is commonly used for fish and chips all throughout the world. However, when fisheries target pregnant females, the result is severe harm to the population of this species. The other species, the porbeagle, is valued in Europe for the meat and exported to Asian countries for shark fin soup. Overfishing has resulted in the severe decline of these species, placing them on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Populations in the northeast and northwest Atlantic Ocean are considered Critically Endangered and Endangered respectively by the IUCN. Even so, permissible catch quotas continue to be set well above scientific advice. The EU Council will set their catch limits of the spiny dogfish and porbeagle shark later this week.
For more information, see above link for the Press Release.
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