Five Pacific nations step up campaign to protect sharks

Pacific Scoop Report – By Jessica Tasman-Jones.

Around the world sharks strike fear in ocean swimmers. But while five people die from shark attacks in an average year, millions of sharks are killed through human fishing.

Last month, five Pacific states and territories signed an agreement for the conservation of the creatures.

The agreement was part of the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) memorandum of understanding which aims to conserve shark population numbers.

The memorandum – which is not legally binding – was developed at a United Nations-backed meeting held in February this year.

At the time of the meeting, 11 states signed the agreement while Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands signed the CMS agreement at the 21st meeting of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) held in Papua New Guinea last month.

A significant cause of declining shark numbers is the popularity of shark-fin soup.

Complete Story.

Bluefin in the Gulf - Ground Zero Oil Spill

Northeast and northwest spawning grounds for Bluefin tuna in the Gulf were at ground zero for Americas worst oil spill on record.

And the fallout is just beginning.

Underwater Times

PARIS, France -- The Gulf of Mexico oil spill couldn't have occurred at a worse time for bluefin tuna: they had come to the area – a major spawning ground – to produce offspring. Satellites are helping assess the damage from the disaster on the fish's spawning habitat.

The majestic Atlantic bluefin tuna, among the largest fish able to grow the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, come to the Gulf yearly from January to June. Their peak spawning time in the Gulf is April and May – just when some 10 million litres of oil a day was pouring into the water following the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig on 20 April.

The commercially valuable fish spawn in surface waters, with females releasing eggs and males following behind to fertilize them. The presence of surface oil could harm eggs, larvae and even adults. With the western Atlantic tuna population's spawning stock declining by 82% over the last 30 years, it is imperative they spawn without disturbance.

Complete Story.