More than 65 conservation, marine science, diving and sport fishing groups from around the world are urging the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to reject European Union (EU) and Australian proposals that could weaken the regional ban on shark finning, says the Shark Alliance.
Conservationists oppose the proposed changes, which include placing severed shark fins in bags, because they would be exceptionally impractical to enforce and may increase plastic pollution which can choke sea turtles and birds.
The groups are asking instead for a requirement that fins remain naturally attached to any sharks landed, as this is the most reliable way to stop finning and can also improve information on the species of sharks being taken. Shark Alliance representatives delivered a letter from over 60 groups to the annual IOTC meeting in Bali.
"It is distressing that Australia, usually a leader in shark fisheries management, and the EU, which pledged just weeks ago to strengthen its own finning ban, would propose reckless action with the potential to take us backwards in the battle against shark finning," said Sonja Fordham, Policy Director for the Shark Alliance, who is participating in the IOTC meeting.
Like most international fisheries bodies, the IOTC has adopted a shark finning ban and enforces it by limiting the weight of shark fins on fishing vessels to 5% of the weight of the shark carcasses on board. The rule aims to ensure the amount of fins and bodies are proportional to each other while still granting fishermen's wishes to store shark parts separately. For this year's IOTC meeting, the EU has proposed abolishing the weight ratio and replacing it with two options: to place shark fins in plastic bags which would be affixed to the corresponding carcass, or to mark shark fins and bodies with matching numbers and store them separately. These options enjoy support from commercial fishing interests. Australia has proposed several "fins attached" options, including one to place fins in sealed bags (not necessarily plastic) to be attached to numbered carcasses.
The EU and Australian proposals are based on advice from the IOTC Scientific Committee. The Scientific Committee's first preference is that shark fins remain naturally attached to bodies through landing. The EU and Australian proposals highlight this finding, but are weakened by their options to remove fins.
