There’s more bad news for sharks this week. According to new research published in ''Marine Policy'', the world’s shark populations are in significant decline, with an estimated 100m being lost each year.
In the paper called Global catches, exploitation rates and rebuilding options for sharks, researchers from Dalhousie University teamed up with scientists from the University of Windsor in Canada, Stony Brook in New York, Florida International University and the University of Miami, to calculate shark mortality and look at possible solutions to the problem.
The scientists said the biggest reason for the decline is a combination of a boom in shark fin fishing, and the slow growth and reproductive rates of the species.
The total possible range of mortality was estimated at being between 63 and 273m, the actual figure is difficult to predict because of inadequate data so the figures are based on actual shark deaths and calculated projections for illegal catches. But regardless of this, the scientists say there is no doubt that the sharks are being caught faster than they can reproduce.
They conclude that the problem can be addressed by a tax on the import and export of shark fins to help curb demand and generate income for shark fisheries.
But the key message, they say is sustainability, protective measures must be scaled up to avoid further depletion and possible extinction of the species.
