“AN ALARMING RATE”
The most comprehensive survey of sharks and rays ever undertaken, meanwhile, revealed that 37 per cent of 1,200 species evaluated are now classified as directly threatened with extinction, falling into one of three categories: “Vulnerable”, “endangered” or “critically endangered”.
That is a third more species at risk than only seven years ago, said Simon Fraser University Professor Nicholas Dulvy, lead author of a study published on Monday underpinning the Red List assessment.
“The conservation status of the group as a whole continues to deteriorate, and overall risk of extinction is rising at an alarming rate,” he told AFP.
Five species of sawfish – whose serrated snouts get tangled in cast off fishing gear – and the iconic shortfin mako shark are among those most threatened.
Chondrichthyan fish, a group made up mainly of sharks and rays, “are important to ecosystems, economies and cultures”, Sonja Fordham, president of Shark Advocates International and co-author of the upcoming study, told AFP.
“By not sufficiently limiting catch, we’re jeopardising ocean health and squandering opportunities for sustainable fishing, tourism, traditions and food security in the long term.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization reports about 800,000 tonnes of sharks caught – intentionally or opportunistically – each year, but research suggests the true figure is two to four times greater.
For all the latest world News Click Here
