Scientists add shark species to endangered list

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

London, Feb 23: Scientists have added several species of deep sea sharks to the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) endangered Red List due to overfishing.

After a meeting in Oxford, England yesterday, the scientists listed all three species of thresher sharks -- known for their scythe-like tails -- as ''vulnerable globally'', and moved the shortfin mako to ''vulnerable today'' from ''near threatened''.

''The qualities of pelagic sharks -- fast, powerful, wide-ranging -- too often lead to a misperception that they are resilient to fishing pressure,'' said Sarah Fowler of the IUCN's Shark Specialist Group.

''This week, leading shark scientists from around the world highlighted the vulnerability of these species to overfishing and concluded that several species are now threatened with extinction on a global scale,'' she added.

The meeting decided that the blue shark, the world's most abundant and heavily fished pelagic shark, should remain on the ''near threatened'' list despite a decline in numbers of 50-70 percent in the North Atlantic and scant conservation measures.

Pelagic sharks are being increasingly targeted as new markets for their meat develop and demand for their valuable fins grows.

Bans on shark finning -- slicing off a shark's valuable fins -- have been adopted for most international waters, but standards of enforcement are low, IUCN said.

''Despite mounting threats and evidence of decline, there are no international catch limits for pelagic sharks,'' said Sonja Fordham, Shark Alliance's policy director.

''The workshop results underscore the urgent need for international fishery commissions to limit fishing for these vulnerable species and strengthen regulations on the wasteful practice of finning,'' she added.

Reuters

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