Sharks under threat as environmental change bites hard

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Since 2000, Sea Shepherd has maintained a strong, positive presence in the Galapagos Islands. From patroling the Marine Reserve stopping illegal fishing activities, to busting shark finners, to educating the local youth, Sea Shepherd carries out its mission of promoting ocean conservation using a wide range of methods and actions.The Galapagos is our line in the sand. If humanity cannot protect such a unique and diverse ecosystem, we will not be able to protect any ecosystem. The Galapagos is a challenge and battlefield for the effort to halt human greed and destruction. These Enchanted Isles are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and this means all of us have a responsibility to help protect them from illegal exploitation.

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Sharks under threat as environmental change bites hard

Wednesday, 18 November 2009 07:31

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Using information from two global datasets collected by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and FishBase, the Australian team behind the study has compiled the most comprehensive database yet of information about sharks, rays and chimaeras (a deep-water fish which also has cartilage instead of bones) and the factors that put them at risk of becoming threatened.

Fishing, coastal development and habitat degradation, climate change and pollution have all been identified in the study as the major risk factors for global extinction.

"We concluded that the largest, most range-restricted and heavily harvested species could easily become threatened," said lead researcher on the project, Dr Iain Field. "Globally, poor management of coastal and high-seas fisheries is one of the greatest threats to shark, ray and chimaera populations. Habitat loss and degradation will further erode certain populations to the point where extinction risk rises appreciably, and there are likely to be threat synergies with climate change."

"These are large predators that have top-down control of other marine species - their survival and abundance is vital to the health of the entire system. So far there have been no extinctions of sharks, rays and chimaeras, but now is the time to act so that we may conserve and manage these species as a legacy for future generations."

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