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Columnist (Our World)
The passing of a legislative proposition to ban shark finning by the second largest gatherer of shark meat globally, namely India, should ideally be a cause for celebration for shark conservationists. Essentially, a law that decries the barbaric process of the hacking of sharks’ fins, (after which they often get dumped back into the sea only to bleed to death on the sea beds) as illegal is definitely a moral and ethical victory in favour of the sharks. But such a law although prolific, is bound to cause, as many conservationists argue, only a meagre dent in the figures that arise annually of the number of sharks caught and sold worldwide.
Currently standing at an approximate of about 100 million catches a year (despite reports also mentioning a decline in the demand for shark fins- the primary fuel of the shark trade); such figures are what are generating an alarm among the oceanic and wildlife conservationists. Their collective concern: the rapidly dwindling population of sharks worldwide simply cannot be expected to continue providing for the global market, while also being top contenders in the endangered species list.
Recent reports suggest that close to about 29% of Shark species are in danger of facing extinction, some of which like the Hammerhead sharks, have seen a drastic decline in numbers by about 99%. Furthermore, being a species that reproduce much later in life, the sustainable fishing of sharks is extremely difficult and with high demands from markets worldwide the supply not being able to cope with the demand, becomes quite evident.
Significant action has been taken by a few other governing bodies like the EU on the ban of ‘finning’. However, the frivolity surrounding such an issue becomes obvious when certain ‘loop holes’ existing within the legislation come to surface, eventually rendering the law as being inadequate and in need of fixing. But even with the EU having corrected the faulty order recently, not much can be said for the conservation of sharks in general.
Whether such laws on finning bring about any significant change to the figures of sharks being caught annually is very much questionable, as reports still surface daily of un-monitored massacres and even legalised finning occurring in some nations. Other small milestones that might however, in effect perhaps lead to bigger and better change include Hong Kong’s decree to ban shark meat from being served in official banquets, a much welcomed step considering its significant role in the shark fin trade.
Granted, such laws might possibly bring about a wave of change in the collective attitudes regarding the seriousness of the situation, but how much time can the world afford to lose while slowly treading on a path towards conservation, before sharks become a thing of the past?
Instead, a global shift is perhaps what is needed towards shark conservation as opposed to the selective attention provided only by a few nations looking to help sustain a population that is rapidly on the decline worldwide. Solutions need to be drastic in nature (for the urgency requires it) and potentially aim to serve the population of sharks collectively as opposed to just aiming to alter the trade’s strategies.
Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Dipika Rangasami
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3 Comments
Rather eloquent article from the writer. The figure of the annual shark kill is staggering. But with such high figures, does the author have any idea of the total number of sharks in the oceans? Is there a role for a planned licenced shark fishing?
Many thanks for taking the time to read and consider the article. As you rightly proclaim the annual figures of sharks killed are indeed staggering but part of what makes them matter even more is the worryingly limited amount of data that exists regarding the existing shark population. Part of what makes the data collection so tough is the varying amount of species in existence as well as the falsification of numbers recorded due to illegal trading activities that are still ongoing in some parts of the world.
If I can draw your attention to the International plan of action for the conservation and management of sharks (1999) proposed by the UN ( http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/X3170E/x3170e03.htm ), which aimed to tackle the issue by suggesting national proposals in individual countries to monitor the shark trade and population within their regional waters. Unfortunately however, though several nations have implemented such proposals in a national plan, the recent figures of killings annually still propose a massive threat to the rapidly dwindling species. Though licensed shark fishing allows for proper management of the trade, I feel that at the rate at which the species are in decline currently, even licensed catches are not perhaps allowing for sustainability.
Many thanks for taking the time to read and consider the article. As you rightly proclaim the annual figures of sharks killed are indeed staggering but part of what makes them matter even more is the worryingly limited amount of data that exists regarding the existing shark population. Part of what makes the data collection so tough is the varying amount of species in existence as well as the falsification of numbers recorded due to illegal trading activities that are still ongoing in some parts of the world.
If I can draw your attention to the International plan of action for the conservation and management of sharks (1999) proposed by the UN ( http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/X3170E/x3170e03.htm ), which aimed to tackle the issue by suggesting national proposals in individual countries to monitor the shark trade and population within their regional waters. Unfortunately however, though several nations have implemented such proposals in a national plan, the recent figures of killings annually still propose a massive threat to the rapidly dwindling species. Though licensed shark fishing allows for proper management of the trade, I feel that at the rate at which the species are in decline currently, even licensed catches are not perhaps allowing for sustainability.