
Oceana
On Nov. 15, Oceana released a report finding that less than 1 percent of the reported highly migratory sharks caught in the Atlantic Ocean are protected from overfishing by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The ICCAT's 22nd regular meeting is currently underway in Istanbul, Turkey. According to the new report, 75 percent of the highly migratory shark species being caught in ICCAT fisheries are classified as threatened in parts of the Atlantic by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“Protecting the oceans top predators is not a luxury, but a necessity,” said Elizabeth Griffin Wilson, senior manager of marine wildlife at Oceana. “While some progress has been made towards shark management, the vast majority of sharks caught in the Atlantic remain unprotected by ICCAT. The fishing countries of the Atlantic can no longer ignore that shark populations are being decimated by ICCAT fisheries.”
Most shark species in the Atlantic are vulnerable to overfishing because of their exceptionally low reproductive rates. In fact, the IUCN considers porbeagle sharks critically endangered in the Northeast Atlantic and a recent scientific report found that silky sharks are the most vulnerable to overfishing by longliners in the Atlantic. Other unmanaged shark species in the Atlantic include shortfin mako and blue sharks, which are the two species most frequently reported to be caught in ICCAT waters.
Currently, ICCAT only has protections in place for bigeye thresher, hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks. Oceana is calling on ICCAT, which is composed of 48 countries that fish in the Atlantic, to adopt the following actions to protect sharks:
- prohibit the retention of endangered or particularly vulnerable species, including porbeagle and silky sharks
- establish science-based precautionary catch limits for blue and shortfin mako sharks
- require reporting of catch data as a prerequisite for landing a particular shark species
- improve the current ICCAT finning measure by requiring that sharks be landed with their fins wholly or partially attached in a natural manner.
"The capture of sharks as both bycatch and targeted species by ICCAT fisheries is having detrimental impacts on our oceans top predators,” said Griffin Wilson. “It is time to stop putting short-term financial interests before the long-term health of our oceans.”
Shockingly, 50 percent of ICCAT fishing countries did not report any shark catches in 2009, the most recent year for which data is available. Misreporting of shark catch data and confusion over reporting requirements are widespread issues at ICCAT and limit the ability to adequately assess the impact of fisheries on shark species.
Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Mark Begich (D-AK), showed their support for U.S. action to protect sharks at ICCAT by sending a letter to Dr. Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Oceana is also urging ICCAT to address the overfishing of Mediterranean swordfish and the bycatch of numerous vulnerable species, including sea turtles, marine mammals and sea birds, that are being caught in these fisheries.
For more information about ICCAT, sharks and swordfish, and for downloadable images, click here.
For more information, click here.
--------
Oceana is the largest international organization working solely to protect the world’s oceans. Oceana seeks to make our oceans as rich, healthy and abundant as they once were.
At first glance, you wouldn't think avocados and almonds could harm bees; but a closer look at how these popular crops are produced reveals their potentially detrimental effect on pollinators.
Migratory beekeeping involves trucking millions of bees across the U.S. to pollinate different crops, including avocados and almonds. Timothy Paule II / Pexels / CC0
<p>According to <a href="https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/beekeeping-how-to-keep-bees" target="_blank">From the Grapevine</a>, American avocados also fully depend on bees' pollination to produce fruit, so farmers have turned to migratory beekeeping as well to fill the void left by wild populations.</p><p>U.S. farmers have become reliant upon the practice, but migratory beekeeping has been called exploitative and harmful to bees. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/health/avocado-almond-vegan-partner/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported that commercial beekeeping may injure or kill bees and that transporting them to pollinate crops appears to negatively affect their health and lifespan. Because the honeybees are forced to gather pollen and nectar from a single, monoculture crop — the one they've been brought in to pollinate — they are deprived of their normal diet, which is more diverse and nourishing as it's comprised of a variety of pollens and nectars, Scientific American reported.</p><p>Scientific American added how getting shuttled from crop to crop and field to field across the country boomerangs the bees between feast and famine, especially once the blooms they were brought in to fertilize end.</p><p>Plus, the artificial mass influx of bees guarantees spreading viruses, mites and fungi between the insects as they collide in midair and crawl over each other in their hives, Scientific American reported. According to CNN, some researchers argue that this explains why so many bees die each winter, and even why entire hives suddenly die off in a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder.</p>Avocado and almond crops depend on bees for proper pollination. FRANK MERIÑO / Pexels / CC0
<p>Salazar and other Columbian beekeepers described "scooping up piles of dead bees" year after year since the avocado and citrus booms began, according to Phys.org. Many have opted to salvage what partial colonies survive and move away from agricultural areas.</p><p>The future of pollinators and the crops they help create is uncertain. According to the United Nations, nearly half of insect pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, risk global extinction, Phys.org reported. Their decline already has cascading consequences for the economy and beyond. Roughly 1.4 billion jobs and three-quarters of all crops around the world depend on bees and other pollinators for free fertilization services worth billions of dollars, Phys.org noted. Losing wild and native bees could <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/wild-bees-crop-shortage-2646849232.html" target="_self">trigger food security issues</a>.</p><p>Salazar, the beekeeper, warned Phys.org, "The bee is a bioindicator. If bees are dying, what other insects beneficial to the environment... are dying?"</p>EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Australia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to more than 7% of all the world's plant and animal species, many of which are endemic. One such species, the Pharohylaeus lactiferus bee, was recently rediscovered after spending nearly 100 years out of sight from humans.
Trending
Scientists have newly photographed three species of shark that can glow in the dark, according to a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science last month.
- 10 Little-Known Shark Facts - EcoWatch ›
- 4 New Walking Shark Species Discovered - EcoWatch ›
- 5 Incredible Species That Glow in the Dark - EcoWatch ›
FedEx's entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet will become 100 percent electric by 2040, according to a statement released Wednesday. The ambitious plan includes checkpoints, such as aiming for 50 percent electric vehicles by 2025.
Lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic had the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by around seven percent, or 2.6 billion metric tons, in 2020.
- Which Is Worse for the Planet: Beef or Cars? - EcoWatch ›
- Greenhouse Gas Levels Hit Record High Despite Lockdowns, UN ... ›
- 1.8 Billion Tons More Greenhouse Gases Will Be Released, Thanks ... ›