Oceana and the Chilean Shark Fin Bill

The Fisheries Committee of the Chilean Senate voted on Friday in favor of placing a bill aimed at protecting sharks by banning finning (cutting the shark’s fins and then throwing the carcass back into the ocean) on the legislative agenda.

The bill was favorably voted by the Senators who attended the session: Antonio Horvath, Jaime Orpis and Fulvio Rossi, and now it must be voted in the Senate chamber.

“Chile has become a large shark fin exporter, which is severely threatening their conservation. The unanimous vote of the Committee is an encouraging signal and we hope that our country can soon pass a law banning such a brutal practice,” stated Alex Muñoz, Executive Director with Oceana in Chile.

The bill, promoted by Oceana, was introduced to National Congress last January, sponsored by Senators Antonio Horvath, José Antonio Gómez, Jaime Orpis, Hosain Sabag and Carlos Cantero, and is aimed at putting an end to increasing finning practices in Chile. Of the 30 species of sharks caught in Chilean fisheries, at least 15 are subject to finning, with the blue shark (Prionace glauca) and the mako shark (Isurus oxyrhinchus) as the most affected species.

Shark finning, among other activities, is responsible for a 90% global decrease in these animal populations. Fins are exported to Asian countries, mainly China, where they are used for culinary purposes.

A Freedom of Information Act request filed by Oceana to the Chilean National Customs Service revealed that between 2006 and 2009, 71 tons of dry shark fins were exported and corresponded to eight different species.

In 2006, the Chilean Government pledged to take conservation measures for sharks through a National Action Plan for Shark Conservation which, among other goals, considers the integral use of caught and retained sharks. To do so, one of its goals is to eliminate finning, encouraging the landing of fins together with the body.

Sharks are top predators in marine ecosystems and as such, they have a critical role in maintaining trophic balances and the promotion of biodiversity. In fact, their disappearance can bring instability to the food chain and have large and negative ecological impacts on the structures and functions of marine communities and ecosystems. Unfortunately, they are highly vulnerable to overfishing and require many decades to recover. Compared with other fish, sharks grow slowly, become sexually mature relatively late, have a long life-span, have long pregnancies and generally have low reproductive rates.

If the bill is approved, among others, shark finning will be banned and sharks will have to be landed with all their fins naturally and completely attached to their bodies. Also, the presence of loose fins on-board, or the transportation or transfer of cut shark fins between vessels, will be totally prohibited.

Shark fin ban Guam - Shark feeding ban as well?

One of the hopes for regional shark fin bans and set aside shark sanctuaries is that commercial shark diving development will be allowed to re-purpose local fishermen from unsustainable fisheries into sustainable commercial shark diving.

The shark tourism numbers are eloquent, in places like the Maldives sharks are worth $6.00 to local fishermen, where a live shark at a tourism site might be worth $30,000 over the lifetime of the site, and that's just one shark.

In the Bahamas a $78 million dollar shark tourism industry safely introduces thousands of divers to the world of sharks each and every year.

So, reading the recent discussions on the senate floor about a proposed shark fin ban in Guam yesterday is a bit dis concerning as it would appear that at least two Senators are seeking a complete ban on shark chumming as well.

A complete ban on shark chumming would preclude the second act for regional shark conservation efforts allowing fishermen to capitalise on a growing international shark tourism marketplace.

Guam News:

During floor discussions, Sen. Respicio proposed an amendment that would also prohibit the practice of shark feeding, which has been used to lure the animals.

Cruz said he supported the amendment.

"The intent of this bill was to allow nature to be nature," said Cruz.

He said that bringing sharks closer to shore was "unnatural" and dangerous.

Sen. Chris Duenas also rose in support of the amendment.

"It is the experience of many fishermen as they go fishing is that there are a lot of sharks," said Duenas. "But there's no question that when you add fish parts to the water … you would artificial attract sharks to a location, fishermen have a hard enough time off there fending off sharks."

Sen. Judith Guthertz called the practice of attracting the animals through fish parts "very dangerous." She said the bill wanted to prevent dangerous commercial activities that would attract the animals to cages.

"It's inappropriate and unfair to the animals," she said.

Sen. Ben Pangelinan said the practice throws the ecosystem off balance.

"You can train a dog to wear a skirt and sit up and bark. Or pants for that matter," said Pangelinan.

He said that the practice has meant that sharks have been conditioned to follow the sounds of boats -- because the animals know that the sound may mean food.

Read story.

California's Shark Fin Battle - When Blogging Matters

Got the following email this morning, one of many, from concerned members of the public and fans of shark conservation worldwide who, after reading our posts, contacted Senator Leland Yee for his stance on the proposed California anti-shark fin bill AB 376.

As we have long known blogging about the issues matters.

Kudos to all who sent a letter to Sen Yee. His sudden 72 hour reversal in position this week might have been due to your "collective" efforts.

Dear Senator Yee,

This refers:

California's Shark Fin Battle - "Culture" not on the table?

Being an outspoken South African, I am not too familiar with Californian legislation, nor "PC" and "Political Speak" - as I say what I mean, so your statement confuses me a tad.

Are you against shark finning and its consumption, and will you do everything in your power to stop this Marine Apocalypse, or do you think that its still OK in this day and age to consume non essential "food" with minimal nutritional value just because it is "cultural"?

If cultural is the operative word, then surely if your people can embrace modern technology [which they do with great gusto] why not remove an archaic social status anachronism and help save the planet?

I look forward to following your path.

Sincerely
George
George Askew
+ 64 [0] 220698361

To achieve the impossible it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought and victory belongs to those that believe in it the most and believe in it the longest.

Shark Conservation Act Wins Final Congressional Approval

In July 2008, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration instituted regulations requiring that sharks be landed with their fins attached, but these regulations applied only to U.S. fisheries in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, not the Pacific.

The Shark Conservation Act will bring the Pacific fisheries into line with the rest of the country’s fins-attached policy, and strengthen the U.S. position in international shark conservation efforts.

Shark Conservation Act

• H.R. 81, introduced by Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam, had the bipartisan support of 30 cosponsors and passed the House by voice vote with an amendment offered by Rep. Eni Faleomavaega, D-American Samoa, on March 2, 2009.
• S. 850, introduced by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., had the bipartisan support of 33 cosponsors.
• H.R. 81, with Senate amendments, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 20, 2010.
• Up to 73 million sharks are killed each year in targeted fisheries and as bycatch. Shark finning is a major cause of massive declines in shark populations around the world, since retaining only the fins allows fishing operations to kill many more sharks at a time (filling their onboard freezers with just the fins while dumping the bodies overboard).
• When sharks’ fins are cut off and their live bodies are thrown back into the water.
• As top predators, sharks play an important role in maintaining ecosystem balance. The killing of large numbers of sharks already appears to be affecting other marine species and commercial fisheries. When shark stocks are depleted, their natural prey proliferate and can have a devastating impact on the species they feed on – for example, fewer sharks mean more skates and rays, who in turn have taken a large bite out of scallop and other shellfish populations.
• A national fins-attached policy will provide for improved conservation and management of steeply declining shark populations. It is often impossible to identify a shark species solely by looking at its fins, so landing sharks with fins attached is crucial for tracking which species are caught.
• The Senate-passed bill includes an exemption for smooth dogfish sharks, which are typically caught along the East Coast primarily for their meat. The exemption will put the onus on that fishery to ensure that no fins from any other species are included in smooth dogfish landings.