North Sea Shark Fishing: group funds new study for needed data

 

There are several "hot spots" throughout the planet's oceans when it comes to commercial shark fishing and the North Sea is one of them.  Off the British isles, sharks and even rays are taken, but there is a lack of scientific data to demonstrate what kind of impact the commercial boats are actually having on the shark and ray populations.

The European Fisheries Fund is now funding a new shark research program, Shark By-Watch UK, to the tune of nearly $325,000.  The purpose of the program is to use commercial fishing boats to gather data on shark and ray by-catch and participate in tagging and releasing sharks and rays back into the sea.

Shark By-Watch is to managed by scientists from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), which is dedicated to supporting sustainable fisheries.

Apparently, while arguments can take place regarding the decline of shark and ray populations in other parts of the world, there does not appear to be significant data that allows all interested parties - North Sea fishermen, conservationists, scientists - to effectively argue for sustainability except in the broadest of terms.  It is hoped this program will provide the data needed to successfully establish effective commercial shark and ray fishing policies. 

As reported in FishUpdate.com, Graeme High, European Fisheries Fund's England Deliver and Control Manager, said: "Such forward thinking measures are key to developing sustainable, economically viable fisheries and we were consequently keen to support this scheme. It is hoped this approach to research will promote greater industry involvement in future shark and ray assessments and will help determine practical ways forward for conserving local stocks. This work may also help fishermen to learn new skills – such as becoming competent tagging operatives.” 

I hope that their research will produce definitive data but I have come to be a bit skeptical of many efforts aimed at sustainability.  I often view it as a problem to which we are putting our finger in the dike, but the flood waters will continue to climb and ultimately breach the top.  When we catch fish, particularly slow reproducing species like sharks and rays, one fish taken from the wild is one fish too many.  Aquaculture - or aquafarming - for me, is the solution.

Perhaps that will be the final conclusion of the Shark By-Watch program, that shark and ray populations are too fragile to allow for any of viable commercial fishery.  Or perhaps science and commerce will strike a devil's bargain and commercial fishing will continue at some level, simply postponing the inevitable collapse of shark and ray populations in the North Sea.  Hard decisions need to be made, industries need to adapt and change, and it needs to be done now. 

Source: FishUpdate.com 

Wildlife Declines: environmentalists will press issue at RIO+20 conference

In June, the RIO+20 conference will be held in Rio de Janeiro.  This conference name is more of a nickname, as it is officially the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.  

Many of the issues discussed revolve around land use and crop yields in addition to water usage and availability.  The goal is to be able to provide for human populations in a responsible manner that can guarantee available resources for generations to come.

None of this can be accomplished without considering the impact mankind is having on nature and wildlife in general.  The BBC recently reported that environmentalists will be pressuring government leaders at the conference to make a more concerted effort to protect nature as a critical component of any sustainable development policy.

 "The Rio+20 conference is an opportunity for the world to get serious about the need for development to be made sustainable," said David Nussbaum, CEO of World Wildlife Fund-UK.  "We need to elevate the sense of urgency, and I think this is ultimately not only about our lives but the legacy we leave for future generations."  

Environmentalist will be doing more than just talking a good game.  They will be arming themselves with new data to emphasize the importance of nature conservation.  The Living Planet Report has recently issued need data based on analysis of trends seen in over 9,000 animal populations compiled by the Zoological Society of London.  The report confirms an overall 30% decline in wildlife since 1970.  Wildlife in tropical areas, particularly in tropical lakes and rivers, showed the greatest decline of as much as 60%.

The Global Footprint Network is also conducting analysis of our global footprint - our impact based on a composite measure of our use of fossil fuels, cropland for food production, wood consumption, and wild-caught fish.  In areas of the world where there is high development in lands that harbor harsh environments, our impact is most noticeable.  The Persian Gulf emerges as the region with the highest per-capita ecological footprint, with Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates topping the list of the least sustainable nations.  But developed nations like the United States, Denmark, Belgium, and Australia are not far behind.

However, there are some rays of hope.  In Pakistan, a program has proved successful in reducing water consumption and pesticide and fertilizer use in growing cotton, while still producing the same yield.  It just takes initiative and an understanding that it is a global issue, not confined to one nation or one region of the world.

"We need to address this with the same urgency and determination with which we tackled the systemic financial crisis globally," said Nussbaum in describing how it is not too late to turn existing negative trends around. 

Source: BBC News             
                    

AU Shark Fisheries: blames shark attacks on sustainability

Always on the hunt to increase their annual shark catch to satisfy the growing Asian demand, Australian fishery industry officials are continuing in their strategy to link three recent shark-human interactions with the need to expand on shark catch limits.

In an online article in The Australian, it was reported that in North South Wales, Australia's southeast territory and home to the three recent attacks, an increase in prey fish and Sydney Harbor's improved water quality may be a contributing factor to the number of attacks.

"NSW has worked very hard for the last couple of decades to try and ensure the sustainability of its fisheries. There is less fishing and the fishing is more controlled -- there is more abundant prey in Sydney Harbour and maybe more sharks because of this," said Rik Buckworth of the Northern Territories Fisheries Department. He also said other factors could be climatic changes and more swimmers at Sydney beaches. "The number of shark attacks doesn't mean there are more sharks around, per se, but they're localized on the feeding schools," said Taronga Zoo shark expert John West.

So, you improve the marine ecosystem by improving water quality and control fishing, which increases fish populations (ie: getting back to normal) . . . and that's a bad thing?

Well, according to fishery industry spokesman Duncan Gay, it is as he is blaming conservation-friendly policies for increases in predatory sharks in NSW waters - once again, the fear factor. He said high shark numbers could be linked to "bad government policy in closing up large amounts of the fishery and changing fishing habits."

In another related article, Dr. Gilly Llewellyn of the World Wildlife Fund says, "The calls for an increase to the shark fishing quota in NSW are driven by this opportunism. Some fishers are using the current media feeding frenzy around sharks to call for an increase in shark hunting levels and are making claims that have no scientific basis. They should be ignored." And other Australian fisheries department officials say there is no evidence that fishing restrictions have led to more shark attacks.

Could improved marine environments lead to a higher number of sharks? It's possible. Could the three recent shark-human interactions be simply a statistical anomaly? It's possible. Could the fishing industry be on a witch hunt, drumming up excuses so as to increase profits? Most definitely.