Page 24 - IB June 2020

Pacific spearheading global cons ervation efforts for sharks and rays

Sharks are iconic in the cultures, beliefs and traditions of Pacific extinction. You need to have populations decline by more than 90%
people. Their sense of identity of place is reinforced through totems. for them to be categorised as critically endangered. Fast forward to
From Kiribati, Solomon Islands to Fiji and across the Pacific, shark the present and we have 42 species that are critically endangered
legends and tales make up the rich cultural fabric that is their heritage. and a whole bunch doing worse than six years ago. This is what we
Sharks and their close relatives, the rays, are also just as mean when we’re talking about the shark crisis.”
important as well for food security, by maintaining the healthy reef WWF’s work in the region includes advocating for improved
systems that many Pacific peoples rely on for protein and income. management measures at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries
However, despite this ecological and socioeconomic value, some Commission (WCPFC), and supporting the development of National
species are facing extinction and these threats stem from several Plans of Action for sharks (often including Marine Protected Areas)
factors. at national levels. It has also worked on responsible shark and ray
While there are 1,250 diverse species of sharks and rays, tourism, releasing a guide to best practice several years ago, and
(with new ones still being discovered quite regularly), sharks are working with tourism operators in Fiji.
particularly vulnerable to the threats posed by humans because they WWF-Pacific’s Sustainable Fisheries and Seafood programme
reproduce slowly, are slow to reach sexual maturity and have low manager, Duncan Williams, adds that in the Pacific, WWF has
reproduction rates. An extreme case is the Greenland shark that can supported the development of a bycatch training manual with the Fiji
live up to 400 years and doesn’t reach sexual maturity until its 150 Maritime Academy to ensure crew onboard fishing vessels have a Up to 95% of the oceanic whitetip shark population in Western and Central Oceanic whitetip shark is heading towards extinction in Western and Central
years old. Sharks also average between 9 to 12 months pregnancies. better understanding of shark bycatch issues and how to mitigate Pacific Ocean has disappeared. Urgent recovery plan is needed to save the Pacific Ocean under the watch of WCPFC. A recovery plan is urgently
The Greeneye Dogfish has the longest recorded pregnancy at 31 this. “We are in the process of developing bycatch awareness and species. Here, sub-adult oceanic whitetip (Carcharinus longimanus) sharks needed to stop them from disappearing. Here, an oceanic whitetip shark
months with sharks known to reproduce every one to two years. reference materials for fishermen to help reduce the threat of bycatch. before auction at the Negombo fish market in Sri Lanka. © Andy Cornish / (Carcharhinus longimanus) near Brother Islands, Red Sea, Egypt. © Simon
WWF
Lorenz / WWF-Hong Kong
Tens of millions of sharks are killed each year and many More recently, WWF-Pacific has undertaken market surveys in PNG
populations continue to decline at an alarming rate. and catch surveys in key shark breeding and nursery areas in Fiji
But by far the biggest threat to sharks and rays is overfishing, to inform national efforts to better protect, in particular, endangered ray habitats to be afforded greater protections and conservation and it can also be used for its oil, for its cartilage or its skin, so it’s
which has driven several species close to extinction as indicated by or threatened species and habitats which are critical for status.” actually a very important marine resource, and I think, in that sense,
the IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered Species. their recovery and long-term sustainability.” Cornish says while reef shark populations in the Pacific are in a we really need to be doing a better job to manage it than we have up
It is conservatively estimated that each year globally, 100 million Andrew Paris is a marine science researcher better state than most parts of the world, thanks in part to large shark until now.”
sharks are killed in commercial fisheries. assisting WWF-Pacific in obtaining data on sanctuaries in Palau, Cook Islands and elsewhere, oceanic shark Dr Clarke said living up to the commitments outlined in the
WWF and TRAFFIC, a non-governmental organisation working inshore shark species in Dreketi, Vanua Levu, Fiji. species need a lot more attention, and that this should happen at existing WCPFC conservation and management measure is now key.
globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of “The research work was the first assessment both national and regional levels. “I would start with data provision. For sharks, our data is really so
both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development on the distribution and abundance of shark “The oceanic whitetip shark used to be the most common shark poor, and in fact some of the measures that we’ve adopted actually
collaborate on a joint global shark and ray conservation and ray species along the Dreketi River species in the open ocean. Their official stock assessment shows make the data sets worse. So, when we’re trying to make a science
programme called Sharks: Restoring the Balance. It is and estuary,” Paris said. “The area has that the oceanic whitetips have gone down 95%, they’ve just totally based argument that we need to do something to conserve this
headed by Andy Cornish, who has previously worked for been known as a hotspot for juvenile crashed, and it’s mostly due to longline fishing for tuna by the various species, we’re really just being undermined by the poor quality data
shark and ray species by local fleets. The stock assessment itself says that if that situation continues, and the lack of the data.”
communities. The study also that species will probably go extinct. The updated CMM includes a “fins-naturally-attached” policy,
allowed us to map the “I don’t think people realize just how bad the situation with some which is the most effective way to eliminate shark finning at sea. It will
of these shark species is. Some of the Pacific Islands such as Fiji be in place in 2020-2022.
and Palau, have really acted as champions for shark conservation. In 2006, the WCPFC adopted its first measure to discourage the
Palau was the first place to declare a shark sanctuary and to market removal of fins from sharks at sea. Fishermen know they can get
themselves as the shark diving capital of the world, and they have a good price for a fin in the Chinese market, and in order to save
been enjoying a lot of benefits from that. Fiji, led a group of nations space on their boat for more valuable species, they’ll cut the fins off
in proposing that the devil rays, which are related to manta rays and the shark and throw the shark back in the water, either alive or dead.
are being overfished, be listed on the Convention for the International The “fins naturally-attached” policy means sharks have to be brought
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix 2. So there are back to land in one piece without their fins cut off. It is intended to
some good examples of leadership, and I think it will be really good discourage targeted shark catch for the sole purpose of obtaining
to see some of these Pacific nations really encouraging the WCPFC fins, reduces enforcement burden and allows fisheries managers
to get more serious about recovering these really major shark gain a better understanding of the impact that industrial fishing is
the Department populations at the moment.” having on specific shark species.
of Fish and Wildlife Resources in American Japan-based Dr. Shelley Clarke has worked with the United WWF cautions there is still a way to go. The CMM also includes
Samoa. “We’ve focused on three areas; improving Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) to lead a set of alternative measures to this policy that member states can
management, trying to improve the responsibility of the areas along the river and estuary most frequented by these species. assessment for silky and whale sharks. She spent more than three implement instead, creating a greater burden on enforcement and
international trade in shark and ray parts, and on consumption, so Vanua Levu is a place known for an intimate relationship with sharks years at the WCPFC working on tuna, shark bycatch, and sea turtle monitoring and “likely limiting the policy’s effectiveness”. WCPFC
trying to reduce unsustainable consumption of shark fin and shark yet there is very little scientific research on these species here.” data sharing, research and management initiatives. Member states have failed to approve an effective ban on wire
meat,” Cornish said. The research team has captured species biodata, including In December 2019 the WCPFC member states adopted an traces, which is a proven method for reducing shark mortality. But
Cornish says while there are some targeted fisheries for sharks, species, length, sex and umbilical scar condition. DNA samples were updated comprehensive Conservation and Management Measures it acknowledges the commission’s adoption– and if needed, update
in many cases sharks and rays are part of the intended catch also collected for further analysis on species kinship. (CMM) for sharks. Dr Clarke said the CMM pulls together a number – of the Shark Safe Release Guidelines to further minimise bycatch-
targeting a wider range of species as it happens with gillnet and long “It is my hope that the research adds to the growing discourse of previously-introduced measures into one package. “Having a related mortality. A catch and retention ban will remain in place for the
line fisheries. He says because management efforts usually centre on the distribution and abundance of sharks in Fiji with a view to streamlined management measure that’s all very clearly laid out in oceanic whitetip and silky sharks.
on “high value” fisheries such as tuna; shark and rays are not as well emphasise the abundance of sharks and rays in Fiji we have,” Paris one place and everybody can find, benefits everybody. It promotes “A lot of work remains to be done to set WCPFC on a path towards
managed. said. understanding and is a good thing.” responsible shark management. If implemented effectively, the CMM
“As a result of this almost unregulated fishing, overfishing is “Research in Rewa, Sigatoka, Ba and now Dreketi are showing Dr Clarke believes a heightened appreciation of the value of could become a base to build upon for all species. Nonetheless,
widespread and sharks are really in terrible state at the moment. that certain species of shark and ray are found in high numbers along sharks could improve their management, commensurate with the the CMM in itself does not equate to responsible management, in
Populations are declining in most of the places where they occur. these estuarine areas. More so for certain species of shark such as way tuna and other target species are understood. “It’s one of the particular for the already heavily depleted species,” WWF said.
Since 2014 when we started this programme, things have gotten a the scalloped hammerhead, the great hammerhead and the bull shark most useful fish that we catch. It can be used for a number of different
lot worse. For example, when we started according to the IUCN Red which are found to use these sites as pupping grounds. My ultimate things, not just luxury food items like fin but it’s very much used in a This article was produced with the assistance of WWF-Pacific.
List, 25 species were critically endangered, that’s one step away from goal would be for either the species or for these essential shark and variety of fish-based products. And so, it’s an important food source

24 Islands Business, June 2020