Shark finning bans have had little effect on protecting global shark populations, according to new research. However, shark mortality decreased in pelagic fisheries, which suggests that regulatory measures in regional fisheries have had some positive impact. In a new study published in Science, an international team of researchers analyzed shark catch data from 150 countries […]
Tag: thresher sharks
California Drift Gillnets Entangled About 12 Humpback Whales in 2021
SAN FRANCISCO— After new federal reports estimated that the California drift gillnet fishery caught about 12 Pacific humpbacks in 2021, the Center for Biological Diversity warned the National Marine Fisheries Service today to expect to be sued for failing to protect these endangered whales from entanglements in drift nets. Today’s legal notice points out that […]
Sharks on a knife’s edge as Maldives mulls lifting 10-year fishing ban
It’s not easy to find sharks these days. Just ask Demian Chapman, a marine scientist who leads Global FinPrint, a project that assesses shark populations on reefs worldwide. But he says there is a spot where they’re often found: the Maldives, a tiny nation of islands speckled in the Indian Ocean. “The Maldives is a […]
Efforts to tackle shark fin trade need to focus closer to shore, study says
A hunger for shark fin soup — a brothy, gelatinous dish that’s considered a delicacy in East Asia — is responsible for the deaths of about 73 million sharks each year. It was previously believed that many of these sharks were being caught in international waters, beyond the authority of any individual country, but a […]
Authorities seize record 26 tons of illegal shark fins in Hong Kong
Customs officials in Hong Kong have seized 26 tons of shark fins from an estimated 38,500 sharks classified as vulnerable and protected species — the biggest shipment ever to be intercepted in the region, according to a press release published May 6. This is more than double the amount of all fins seized in 31 […]
POLL: Should the cruel and wasteful use of driftnets be banned?
Three senators are taking action to ban driftnets following an investigation that exposed the toll they’re taking on marine life just miles off the coast of California. Just weeks ago, Mercy For Animals, SeaLegacy, Sharkwater and the Turtle Island Restoration Network released a disturbing undercover footage exposing how many species are regularly trapped, injured and […]
POLL: Should marine life be conserved by banning the use of “Drift Nets”?
California’s drift-net fishery is under fire from a coalition of marine conservation and animal protection groups.These wildlife advocates released a damning undercover video last week, revealing just how often innocent marine life dies because of drift nets. Deceptively small in size, California’s drift-net fishery has an enormous negative impact.The industry includes a fleet of about […]
Removing Walls of Death: Saving Sea Turtles from Drift Nets
An endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle swims through the cold, nutrient-rich waters off California where it has made an impressive journey from its nesting beaches in Indonesia to feed on jellyfish. But, it encounters an unwelcome surprise, a mile long drift net in which its flipper becomes entangled. Because this net sits overnight in the […]