VICTORY! NOAA Bans Deadly Wire Leaders in Hawaiian Fishery

I am in strong support of the new rules prohibiting the use of wire leader within 1 meter of any hook deployed in Hawaiian deep set longline fishery.

Threatened Oceanic whitetip sharks ( Carcharhinus longimanus) and Silky Sharks (Carcharhinus falciformus) are especially impacted by this gear. Under the Endangered species Act, National Marine Fisheries has already committed to zero retention of oceanic whitetip sharks, and tis rule will help achieve that in US waters.

Eliminating this gear will protect sharks, increase safety for fishermen and limit harmful trailing line and ensure a hight survival rate of these threatened sharks.

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Over 20,000 Shark Fins Seized, Canadian Importer Fined

On September 25, 2017, Hang Hing Herbal Medicine Ltd. imported a shipment containing 22 bags of processed shark fins, declared as fish bone, into Richmond, BC. The Canada Border Services Agency noted that the shipment contained wildlife products and referred it to ECCC Enforcement. Wildlife enforcement officers inspected the shipment and concluded that the products, declared as fish bone, were in fact shark fins. DNA testing was used to determine that the shipment contained two species of shark, one being a CITES Appendix II-listed species, Carcharhinus longimanus (oceanic whitetip shark). An importer must obtain a permit from the country of export before importing an Appendix II species into Canada. No permit to import the 12, 984 Oceanic Whitetip Shark fins had been obtained.

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Ban The Shark Fin Trade

A ban on the shark trade would help keep the ecosystem stable. The low level of sharks
in the oceans has a detrimental effect on the ecosystem as a whole. For instance, the University
of Miami’s organization SRC (Shark Research and Conservation) led by marine biologist Dr
Neil Hammerschlag says that “Our research team found that across reefs where sharks have been
depleted, prey fishes had significantly smaller caudal fins and eyes compared to the reefs with
intact shark populations (up to 40 and 46% relative difference in standardized means).”.

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“Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration” announced as theme of World Wildlife Day 2022

According to figures by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, over 8,400 species of wild fauna and flora are critically endangered, while close to 30,000 more are understood to be endangered or vulnerable. Based on these estimates, it is suggested that over a million species are threatened with extinction.

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SUPPORT THE CHUMASH HERITAGE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

Currently the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in the process of collecting public comments to support the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. This Sanctuary will protect a remote and lightly impacted coastal area off the California Coastline between Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, critical habitat for sea otters, whales and other endangered species, is sensitive habitat and has significant cultural value for Native Chumash people.
On Thursday January 6 the public can attend the final virtual public hearing for the proposed sanctuary.

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Surfer Killed by Great White Shark in San Luis Obispo

The 31 year old man was observed face down by a nearby surfer. The nature of the injury indicates it was a white shark (Great white, Carcharodon carcharias), a species of relatively shark common along the central coast of California. Attacks on people are rare, and this makes the 11th confirmed white shark encounter in San Luis Obispo County. According to the Global Shark Attack File this is believed to be San Luis Obispo County’s first fatality by a shark in 18 years 1

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