Africa Wild

2013-11-26 10:52

Dane McDonald, News24

Cape Town – Three Asian countries have opposed a proposal to strengthen the current ban on shark finning at the annual meeting of the Atlantic tuna commission held in Cape Town.

“The demand for shark fins are mostly driven by the Asian market,” senior manager for the marine programme at WWF-SA, John Duncan, told News24.

“They don’t like the concept of having to land a whole shark because that reduces their profitability quite significantly,” he said.

At the annual meeting for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) a proposal was made to strengthen the current ban on shark finning.

The proposal was defeated by radical opposition from Japan, China, and Korea.

'Naturally attached'

According to Duncan the proposal aimed to implement a no-finning approach whereby fishing boats either have to land the full shark with fins attached or the fins and the bodies in a particular ratio.

This is to prevent people from finning the sharks and throwing the bodies overboard, a measure that reduces catches due to space limitations in ship holds.

Huffington Post reports that Costa Rican shark fishermen are exploiting a legal loophole to avoid national legislation which states that the fins must be “naturally attached” to its body when it is brought onto land.

The tactic involves butchering sharks and leaving only a band of skin to keep the fins attached to the spine and throwing the rest of the body out to sea.

The shark fin trade is a lucrative business where 1kg can be sold for up to $650 according to Shark Truth.

A study quoted by Save Our Seas found that 26-73 million sharks ends up in the fin trade annually.

There should be a total ban on all shark fishing!!

January 2014: A staggering quarter of the world’s sharks and rays are threatened with extinction according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with ray species particularly at risk.


Giant Guitarfish Copyright: Matt D. Potenski

The study, the result of a collaboration of 302 experts from 64 countries and the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG), analysed the conservation status of 1,041 shark, ray and closely related chimaera species.

“Our analysis shows that sharks and their relatives are facing an alarmingly elevated risk of extinction,” says Dr Nick Dulvy, IUCN SSG Co-Chair and Canada Research Chair at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. “In greatest peril are the largest species of rays and sharks, especially those living in shallow water that is accessible to fisheries.”

Overfishing is the main threat to the species, according to the paper. Reported catches of sharks, rays and chimaeras peaked in 2003 and have been dominated by rays for the last 40 years. Actual catches are likely to be grossly under-reported.Unintentionally caught sharks and rays account for much of the catch, yet developing markets and depleting fishery targets have made this “bycatch” increasingly welcome.

Intentional killing of sharks and rays due to the perceived risk that they pose to people, fishing gear or target species is contributing to the threatened status of at least 12 species.

“Surprisingly, we have found that the rays, including sawfish, guitarfish, stingrays, and wedgefish, are generally worse off than the sharks, with five out of the seven most threatened families made up of rays,” says Dr Colin Simpfendorfer, IUCN SSG Co-Chair and Professor of Environmental Science at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. “While public, media and government attention to the plight of sharks is growing, the widespread depletion of rays is largely unnoticed. Conservation action for rays is lagging far behind, which only heightens our concern for this species group."

“Sharks, rays and chimaeras tend to grow slowly and produce few young, which leaves them particularly vulnerable to overfishing,” says Sonja Fordham, IUCN SSG Deputy Chair and president of the Washington, DC-based Shark Advocates International, a project of The Ocean Foundation. “Significant policy strides have been made over the last two decades but effective conservation requires a dramatic acceleration in pace as well as an expansion of scope to include all shapes and sizes of these exceptional species. Our analysis clearly demonstrates that the need for such action is urgent.”
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sh ... on.html#cr

Sales of shark fin in China drop by up to 70%

Posted by Jennifer Duggan in Shanghai
Thursday 7 August 2014 17.24 BST

Traditionally a symbol of wealth and luxury, public attitidues towards shark fin are changing in China, according to a new report.

A popular dish at weddings and banquets in China, shark fin soup is increasingly off the menu due to a government frugality drive and awareness campaigns and by conservationists, according to a new report.

The trade in shark fins, a symbol of wealth in China and other parts of Asia, has led to the decline in some shark populations by up to 98% in the last 15 years. An estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year with up to 73 million used for their fins.

China became the world’s largest market for shark fin due to its rising wealth and desire for luxury goods. However, sales of shark fin have fallen from 50-70%, according to a report by WildAid, a US-based organisation focusing on reducing demand for wildlife products.

According to data collected by WildAid, sales of shark fin in Guangzhou, considered to be the centre of the shark fin trade in China, have dropped by 82%. The report complied data from a number of different sources including news reports, online surveys, undercover interviews with traders in China and trade statistics from Hong Kong, once considered to be the global hub for trade in shark fin.

According to the report, wholesale shark fin traders in Guangzhou are complaining that sales are decreasing and prices are falling. One wholesaler quoted in the report said that “shark fin is a dying business” with others reporting that medium-sized shark fins are only selling for half the price.

An anti-corruption drive by the Chinese government is thought to be one of the main factors behind the decrease in sales. Considered a luxurious delicacy, shark fin was often a feature on the menu at official functions. But under the government’s austerity campaign, it was banned from being served at state events in 2012.

Peter Knights, Executive Director of WildAid said that while the government ban has played a role there has been “no magic bullet, it’s been a combination of factors”.

WildAid say that a change in public attitudes towards the consumption of shark fin in China, particularly among younger generations, is having a big impact too. According to the report, 85% of Chinese consumers surveyed online said they gave up shark fin soup within the past 3 years. They credit a large awareness campaign of the impact of the shark fin trade, headed by former basketball star Yao Ming, a popular figure in China. “The more people learn about the consequences of eating shark fin soup, the less they want to participate in the trade,” said Knights.

Pressure from conservationists has also influenced big businesses. A number of large hotel chains have stopped serving shark fin soup and more than 20 airlines have agreed not to transport it.

Last year, it was reported that the owners of factories that process sharks in Puqi, a seaside town in Zhejiang province blamed such awareness campaigns for a drop in their business. Hong Kong-based conservation group WildLife Risk, previously alleged that a plant in Puqi were processing hundreds of sharks of endangered species each year.

A quarter of the world’s sharks are threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) with the market for shark fin a major factor. Knights said that the reduction in sales of shark fin will help the situation. “Hopefully sharks will become commercially extinct rather than actually extinct. It’s certainly going to help relieve pressure to a large degree.”

Well done WildAid....now let's work on those rhino and elephant numbers!!

Minister Molewa calls for public comments on the NEMBA, 2004 (Act No.10 of 2004) Draft Shark Biodiversity Management Plan

24 November 2014



The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa, has published the draft Shark Biodiversity Management Plan in the Government Gazette on the 29th April 2014 for public comment in terms of sections 43(3)(a), 47(1), 99 and 100 of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act No. 10 of 2004). Notice is hereby given in terms of section 100(1)(b) of the Act, that the public may submit comments on the draft plan.

The primary purpose of the plan is to attain and maintain a favourable conservation status for resident and migratory sharks within the Republic, taking into account the socio-economic value of these species.

Anyone who wishes to submit comments in connection with draft Shark Biodiversity Management Plan is invited to do so no later than 16:00 on the 25th of January 2015. Comments can be sent as follows:

By post to:

The Deputy Director-General
Department of Environmental Affairs
Oceans and Coasts
Attention: Mr. Gcobani Popose
P.O. Box 52126
V & A Waterfront, Cape Town
8002

By e-mail to:
zmapekula@environment.gov.za

Enquiries: Ms. Zintle Mapekula, Tel: 021 819 2474

Copies of the English version are available at the offices of the Department’s Oceans and Coasts branch, located at East Pier Building, East Pier Road, V&A Waterfront and on the Department’s website.

Electronic copies of the Draft Shark Biodiversity Management Plan may be obtained by emailing a request for a copy to Ms. Zintle Mapekula (zmapekula@environment.gov.za).

To access the gazette, click on the following link:

>> National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act No.57 of 2003) Draft Notice Declaring the Dwesa Cwebe National Protected Area in terms of section 22A of the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act No.57 of 2003).

For media queries, contact:

Zolile Nqayi
Cell: 082 898 6483

https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarel ... gementplan

DEA gazettes the National Environmental Management Plan: Shark Biodiversity Management Plan
01 April 2015

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has gazetted the National Environmental Management Plan: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act no. 10 of 20014) Shark Biodiversity Management Plan on the 25th of March 2015.

The National Environmental Management Plan was formed after the department identified an urgent need to develop a national Shark Biodiversity Management Plan (SBMP), this is because DEA is accountable for shark conservation in South African waters. The development of the SBMP is driven by the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), Act 10 of 2004 which seeks to provide for the management and conservation of biodiversity within the Framework of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998; and the protection of species and ecosystem that warrant national protection.

The purpose of the SBMP is to achieve and maintain a favourable conservation status for resident and migratory sharks within South African waters, taking into account the socio-economic and other values of these species, based on the best available scientific information. The SBMP is therefore the mechanism whereby this effort can be coordinated, directed and implemented on a national and international scale to the benefit of sharks and their habitats. Furthermore the SBMP would also identify species and areas where additional interventions would be necessary to address threats to populations.

SBMP will be implemented in conjunction with, and takes cognizance of, the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA), that has been developed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and which focuses on shark fisheries management.

South Africa recognizes the concerns expressed by many international bodies, such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This relates to the conservation and management of sharks; and the existing management arrangements that may require improvements in order to address concerns within its national waters. The development of a SBMP will contribute to the conservation, protection and management of shark species of conservation concern through coordinated actions. It is also noted that the concurrent development of the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA) that focuses on exploited species - a separate document taken forward by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) - will enhance the ecological sustainability of shark fisheries through more effective management.

The SBMP contains specific objectives that need to be achieved and a number of actions that need to be implemented to ensure that its aims are fulfilled. The Department (DEA) will be the lead agency in terms of implementation and monitoring and will appoint an Ecosystem and Species Steering Committee to oversee these tasks.

To access the, Shark Biodiversity Management Plan click on the link below:

https://www.environment.gov.za/sites/de ... ntplan.pdf

Great white sharks vanish from Cape Town and no one knows why

Aug 28 2019 19:45 Antony Sguazzin
Bloomberg News

Great white sharks, which support South Africa’s shark-diving industry and have been responsible for a number of fatal attacks off Cape Town, haven’t been seen in the region for 18 months.

Between 2010 and 2016 staff at the Shark Spotting Programme, established to warn swimmers when the three-ton predators approached beaches, reported an average of 205 sightings of the fish off the beaches of False Bay. In 2018 that fell to 50 and this year not one has been seen. None have been seen at Seal Island, a one-time feeding ground off the coast.

“Further supporting evidence of the absence of these large apex predators is the lack of any feeding or bite marks on whale carcasses the city has removed from False Bay this year,” Cape Town’s municipality said in a statement on Wednesday. “We do not know how their absence from False Bay would affect the ecosystem. Neither do we know the causes for their disappearance.”

Local media reports have postulated the arrival of pods of orcas, which eat sharks, in the bay as a reason for the departure of the Great Whites and over fishing of species that the predators eat.

They do tend to move in mysterious ways!

Let us hope that it is the reason But not having white sharks in the waters of the Cape is new.