Populations of two species of shark, used for their meat and consumed mainly in the EU, are on the verge of collapse, according to a WWF release.
The fate of spiny dogfish and porbeagle shark depend on an imminent decision by the 25 Member States of the European Union (EU) at the 39th meeting of the Committee on Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora on Tuesday 19 December - the first of a crucial two step process, according to WWF, the global conservation organisation, and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.
The porbeagle shark is principally used for fresh, frozen and dried-salted meat across Europe. Spiny dogfish is used in fish and chips in the UK, where it is often called “Rock Salmon”, and as a smoked meat delicacy in Germany, called “Schillerlocken".
WWF says that international trade of these sharks is not controlled and fisheries are ineffectively managed.
Populations of both species, imported into the EU from countries such as Canada, Norway and the US, have dramatically declined in the North Atlantic: by up to 95 per cent for the spiny dogfish and 89 per cent for the porbeagle, in the last ten and forty years respectively.
The German Government has championed these sharks by preparing proposals to introduce international trade controls under CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to promote better fisheries management.
“Current levels of fishing for these sharks, especially the capture of mature, female sharks, just can’t continue,” says Stephanie von Meibom of TRAFFIC’s programme in Europe. “European market demand has been driving these fisheries to depletion. As its biggest market, the EU should lead the way by supporting their listing in CITES.”
Germany proposes that the two species be listed on Appendix II of CITES - which requires that international trade is legal, and not detrimental to the species’ survival in the wild or their role in the ecosystem.
The next CITES meeting will be June 2007 in the Netherlands-the first CITES meeting ever held in the EU.
While the final decision to introduce controls under CITES would be taken by the convention’s 169 member countries, this proposal will not reach the floor of that meeting if Germany fails to gain support from the rest of the EU member countries.
A similar proposal failed to gain EU support in 2004.
“If the EU discards this opportunity, it may be the end of the road for these two shark species and in turn, the end for some favourite seafood dishes for Europe’s consumers,” says Cliona O’Brien, of WWF’s Global Species Programme.
