NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- More than 60 countries
agreed Sunday to ban the killing of sharks for their
fins in the Atlantic Ocean, a move that
conservationists hope will increase protection of
threatened species around the world.
The International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas drew up the agreement at its annual
meeting being held in New Orleans. The group, which
oversees management of many Atlantic fish species,
acted on a proposal by the United States.
The agreement bans the practice known as shark finning
in which fishermen slice off a shark's fin and throw
the carcass overboard, leaving room for more fins.
Shark fins are a delicacy in Asian countries and
command high prices: shark fin soup sells for more
than $100 in Singapore, according to WildAid, an
environmental group.
"This is the first international finning ban in the
world, so it is quite a significant conservation step
forward and the environmental community is most
grateful for the United States' leadership," said
Sonja Fordham, a shark conservation specialist with
The Ocean Conservancy.
ICCAT, which includes 63 nations, also agreed to
collect more data on shark catches and identify
nursery areas.
The United States had called for a reduction of the
number of fishing vessels that hunt sharks, but ICCAT
left that unchanged.
According to the United Nations, more than 100 million
sharks are killed each year. A study last year by
Dalhousie University marine scientists estimated that
90 percent of the world's large fish -- including
sharks -- have disappeared since 1950.
"Sharks are exceptionally slow growing, and they take
many decades to recover once they're depleted. They
warrant extra cautious management," Fordham said.
There are few international restrictions on shark
fishing and trade. The United States banned shark
finning in the Atlantic in 1993 and in the Pacific
Ocean in 2002.
ICCAT has a good track record in management, said
Susan Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. She pointed out that
it took only four years for the North Atlantic
swordfish population to rebound thanks to quotas
imposed by ICCAT in 1999.
Officials and conservationists plan to put pressure on
organizations that manage other regions of the world
to impose similar measures.
Fordham said South Korea was the only country to
resist the ban on shark finning and that it has six
months to consider whether it will sign the agreement.
"For those who do not dive, no explanation is possible,
for those who do, no explanation is necessary!"
agreed Sunday to ban the killing of sharks for their
fins in the Atlantic Ocean, a move that
conservationists hope will increase protection of
threatened species around the world.
The International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas drew up the agreement at its annual
meeting being held in New Orleans. The group, which
oversees management of many Atlantic fish species,
acted on a proposal by the United States.
The agreement bans the practice known as shark finning
in which fishermen slice off a shark's fin and throw
the carcass overboard, leaving room for more fins.
Shark fins are a delicacy in Asian countries and
command high prices: shark fin soup sells for more
than $100 in Singapore, according to WildAid, an
environmental group.
"This is the first international finning ban in the
world, so it is quite a significant conservation step
forward and the environmental community is most
grateful for the United States' leadership," said
Sonja Fordham, a shark conservation specialist with
The Ocean Conservancy.
ICCAT, which includes 63 nations, also agreed to
collect more data on shark catches and identify
nursery areas.
The United States had called for a reduction of the
number of fishing vessels that hunt sharks, but ICCAT
left that unchanged.
According to the United Nations, more than 100 million
sharks are killed each year. A study last year by
Dalhousie University marine scientists estimated that
90 percent of the world's large fish -- including
sharks -- have disappeared since 1950.
"Sharks are exceptionally slow growing, and they take
many decades to recover once they're depleted. They
warrant extra cautious management," Fordham said.
There are few international restrictions on shark
fishing and trade. The United States banned shark
finning in the Atlantic in 1993 and in the Pacific
Ocean in 2002.
ICCAT has a good track record in management, said
Susan Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. She pointed out that
it took only four years for the North Atlantic
swordfish population to rebound thanks to quotas
imposed by ICCAT in 1999.
Officials and conservationists plan to put pressure on
organizations that manage other regions of the world
to impose similar measures.
Fordham said South Korea was the only country to
resist the ban on shark finning and that it has six
months to consider whether it will sign the agreement.
"For those who do not dive, no explanation is possible,
for those who do, no explanation is necessary!"
