Indonesia and India named world’s biggest shark killers
In July, a European Union-sponsored study found that Indonesia and India kill the most sharks of all countries. The purpose of the study was to determine how to implement an international agreement to limit the fishing of endangered sharks and rays.
Indonesia and India together account for one-fifth of all shark catches, according to the wildlife trade monitoring organisation TRAFFIC. The next most deadly countries for sharks are, in descending order, Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, Malaysia, Pakistan, Brazil, Japan, France, New Zealand, Thailand, Portugal, Nigeria, Iran, Sri Lanka, South Korea and Yemen.
Global shark populations have been dramatically reduced on account of surging demand for shark fins and meat in several countries, including China and Thailand, according to AFP. The sudden decline of sharks from the food chain has led to unsustainable growth in species that sharks feed on, such as jellyfish. Thus shark overfishing has destabilizing ripple effects on a variety of global fishing and marine operations.
The EU report was commissioned following the listing of seven species of sharks and rays by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) last March. The CITES was successful in achieving international agreement on conservation goals, but not on implementation methods. Thus it is up to the EU and other organisations to determine how to put the CITES agreement into effect.
The CITES agreement seeks to regulate and impose limits on the capture of the ocean white tip shark, porbeagle shark, three species of hammerhead shark and two species of manta rays, which are all classified as endangered. The first step, which the EU study just accomplished, was to determine which countries are most responsible. The next will be figuring out what to do about it. Expect step number two to be rather complicated.
In July, a European Union-sponsored study found that Indonesia and India kill the most sharks of all countries. The purpose of the study was to determine how to implement an international agreement to limit the fishing of endangered sharks and rays. Indonesia and India together account for one-fifth of all shark catches, according to the wildlife trade monitoring organisation TRAFFIC. The next most deadly countries for sharks are, in descending order, Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, Malaysia, Pakistan, Brazil, Japan, France, New Zealand, Thailand, Portugal, Nigeria, Iran, Sri Lanka, South Korea and Yemen. Global shark populations have been...
In July, a European Union-sponsored study found that Indonesia and India kill the most sharks of all countries. The purpose of the study was to determine how to implement an international agreement to limit the fishing of endangered sharks and rays.
Indonesia and India together account for one-fifth of all shark catches, according to the wildlife trade monitoring organisation TRAFFIC. The next most deadly countries for sharks are, in descending order, Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, Malaysia, Pakistan, Brazil, Japan, France, New Zealand, Thailand, Portugal, Nigeria, Iran, Sri Lanka, South Korea and Yemen.
Global shark populations have been dramatically reduced on account of surging demand for shark fins and meat in several countries, including China and Thailand, according to AFP. The sudden decline of sharks from the food chain has led to unsustainable growth in species that sharks feed on, such as jellyfish. Thus shark overfishing has destabilizing ripple effects on a variety of global fishing and marine operations.
The EU report was commissioned following the listing of seven species of sharks and rays by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) last March. The CITES was successful in achieving international agreement on conservation goals, but not on implementation methods. Thus it is up to the EU and other organisations to determine how to put the CITES agreement into effect.
The CITES agreement seeks to regulate and impose limits on the capture of the ocean white tip shark, porbeagle shark, three species of hammerhead shark and two species of manta rays, which are all classified as endangered. The first step, which the EU study just accomplished, was to determine which countries are most responsible. The next will be figuring out what to do about it. Expect step number two to be rather complicated.
