Predictions for time line when there are only a few oceanic shark species left?

[DarkSkies]

I know this sounds dramatic.
There are some sharks that are said to be overfished (spiny dogfish)
Yet if you spend any time on party boats, you know this just ain't true. :kooky:

The seas and inshore and offshore wrecks are infested with dogfish.
These dogfish compete now with everything else for forage fish, and in some places are the dominant predator the inshore areas.

This thread is about all the other sharks, which for years have seen the numbers decline. The reg agencies agree they are overfished, not necessarily by recs, but by comms and illegal fishing on the high seas. Shark finning (catching a shark for fins only, a practice popular in Asia) and other bizarre practices are severely cutting the biomass of these slow-growth Apex predators.

Guys who fish shark tournaments know it.
When was the last time you saw truly large makos caught in a tournament with any consistency?

So if anyone has any news about offshore sharks that isn't directly related to specific legislation and thus belonging in the Laws and Legislation forum, feel free to post it here. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

First post, sent in by Finchaser, thanks!

This is posted courtesy of www.saltwatersportsman.com (http://www.saltwatersportsman.com) in the Sportfishing news section:

"At its late-November (2010) meeting, ICATT agreed to -

ban the harvest of oceanic whitetip sharks
increase restrictions on hammerheads
devise a means to punish countries that flout accurate catch reporting
approved catch reductions of shortfin mako sharks"


The problem - non-compliant countries, namely Japan, Korea, China, and Canada.....

" 1. The mako reductions won't start until 2013 because of objections by Japan, Korea, and China.

2. ICATT declined to prohibit the taking of common thresher and porbeagle sharks under pressure from Canada.

3. Attempts to outlaw harvesting shark fins at sea failed for the 2nd year in a row due to objections by Japan. "

[dogfish]

I'm glad ya said no talking about dogfish here. cause I know dogfish. There are so many of them in 50feet of water you literally can't get through to anything else sometimes. The only time I don't see them in numbers is the early spring. Otherwiise you can't get away from them when you fish the bottom.