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Thursday, 25 June 2009 09:40 |
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Hammerhead sharks and giant devil rays are threatened with extinction, according to the first worldwide conservation survey of the species. A third of open-ocean sharks and rays face the same predicament. Growing appetites for shark meat and for the Asian delicacy shark-fin soup are proving too much for populations of the slow-growing animals, the shark specialist group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature said.
Sharks are more vulnerable to overfishing than most marine species because of their late sexual development and small numbers of young. They used to be mainly accidental victims of hooks and nets set for tuna and swordfish but are increasingly being caught for their meat and fins. The fins offer huge profits, with market values of up to £6,000 per kilo in China. Although shark finning is banned in most international waters, weak legislation allows the practice to continue. Britain is one of only five EU nations that permits fins to be removed at sea... Read Full Article by Frank Pope)
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