captnemo
05-22-2008, 05:26 PM
Sharks, Rays Face Extinction Due to Over-Fishing, Red List Says
By Alex Morales
May 22 (Bloomberg) --
The world's ocean-dwelling sharks and rays face extinction because of ``serious over-fishing,'' the International Union for Conservation of Nature (http://cms.iucn.org/) said, after adding seven species to its Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/).
Three varieties of thresher shark and the shortfin mako are all ``vulnerable,'' the third-highest degree of threat, the IUCN said today in an e-mailed statement. The silky shark is ``near threatened,'' while the salmon shark and pelagic stingray were deemed of ``least concern'' on the IUCN's Red List, which documents all species that have been assessed by the group.
The latest additions mean that of 21 pelagic sharks and rays evaluated, 16 are either threatened with extinction or near threatened, the union said. Pelagic animals are the fastest and widest-ranging species in the oceans. Humans' taste for shark fin soup, as well as accidental catches of sharks and rays, pose a growing danger to their survival, the group said.
``Despite mounting evidence of decline and increasing threats to these species, there are no international catch limits for oceanic sharks,'' Sonja Fordham (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Sonja+Fordham&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1), co-author of the study, said in the statement. ``Our research shows that action is urgently needed on a global level if these fisheries are to be sustainable.''
Aside from extinct and extinct in the wild, the Red List's threatened categories include critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable -- a classification that includes the great white shark, made famous in the 1975 film ``Jaws (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/).'' Other categories for species that aren't facing extinction, include near threatened, least concern and data deficient.
Fins for Soup
Sharks and rays are vulnerable to over-fishing because they take many years to become sexually mature, and have fewer offspring than other fish. The IUCN recommended that governments establish catch limits for the affected species and end the practice of shark-finning, where the fins are cut off for soup, and the carcasses dumped back in the sea.
``Fishery managers and regional, national and international officials have a real obligation to improve this situation,'' lead author Nicholas Dulvy, a scientist at Simon Fraser University (http://www.sfu.ca/), in Vancouver, Canada, said in the statement. ``Humans are making increasing use of ocean resources, so many more aquatic species, particularly sharks, are coming under threat.''
The Gland, Switzerland-based IUCN advises world governments, non-governmental organizations and United Nations bodies on conservation policy.
By Alex Morales
May 22 (Bloomberg) --
The world's ocean-dwelling sharks and rays face extinction because of ``serious over-fishing,'' the International Union for Conservation of Nature (http://cms.iucn.org/) said, after adding seven species to its Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/).
Three varieties of thresher shark and the shortfin mako are all ``vulnerable,'' the third-highest degree of threat, the IUCN said today in an e-mailed statement. The silky shark is ``near threatened,'' while the salmon shark and pelagic stingray were deemed of ``least concern'' on the IUCN's Red List, which documents all species that have been assessed by the group.
The latest additions mean that of 21 pelagic sharks and rays evaluated, 16 are either threatened with extinction or near threatened, the union said. Pelagic animals are the fastest and widest-ranging species in the oceans. Humans' taste for shark fin soup, as well as accidental catches of sharks and rays, pose a growing danger to their survival, the group said.
``Despite mounting evidence of decline and increasing threats to these species, there are no international catch limits for oceanic sharks,'' Sonja Fordham (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Sonja+Fordham&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1), co-author of the study, said in the statement. ``Our research shows that action is urgently needed on a global level if these fisheries are to be sustainable.''
Aside from extinct and extinct in the wild, the Red List's threatened categories include critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable -- a classification that includes the great white shark, made famous in the 1975 film ``Jaws (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/).'' Other categories for species that aren't facing extinction, include near threatened, least concern and data deficient.
Fins for Soup
Sharks and rays are vulnerable to over-fishing because they take many years to become sexually mature, and have fewer offspring than other fish. The IUCN recommended that governments establish catch limits for the affected species and end the practice of shark-finning, where the fins are cut off for soup, and the carcasses dumped back in the sea.
``Fishery managers and regional, national and international officials have a real obligation to improve this situation,'' lead author Nicholas Dulvy, a scientist at Simon Fraser University (http://www.sfu.ca/), in Vancouver, Canada, said in the statement. ``Humans are making increasing use of ocean resources, so many more aquatic species, particularly sharks, are coming under threat.''
The Gland, Switzerland-based IUCN advises world governments, non-governmental organizations and United Nations bodies on conservation policy.