Cuts In 2008 Shark Take Quotas Not Enough

OCEANA Europe is not pleased with European Commission’s proposals for 2008 shark quotas for Total Allowable Catches (TACs). Two of the species included in the proposal are both considered Critically Endangered in the North East Atlantic by the IUCN and thus Zero TAC’s are needed. For the spurdog (Squalus acanthias) the EC recommends a 25% decrease from last year but the 2,752 ton catch limit is still far above the scientific recommendations for these species. Much of the problem centers on deep-sea sharks which are particularly susceptible to overfishing due to their late maturity, slow growth, and long lifespans. Unfortunately the 2008 limits for deep-sea sharks were set 2 years ago despite urging by Oceana for zero TAC for some species over there entire range of the stocks, such as the Portuguese dogfish and leafscale gulper shark.