The 16th meeting of the WCPFC is taking place on 5-11 December in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and we are urging member states in attendance to fight for sharks and rays that are harvested in the Pacific.
Banning wire leaders and shark lines would reduce fishing mortality of oceanic whitetips by 40.5%, and that of silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis), another threatened species, by 30.8%, according to research cited in the WCPFC proposal.
Read MoreSharks and Rays Receive Appendix II Listing at CITES-CoP19
We just made history protecting sharks at CoP19 in Panama by bringing Requiem sharks (including blue sharks), all hammerhead sharks, freshwater rays, and small guitarfish under protection from the international shark meat and fin trade.
Yesterday history was made protecting sharks at the the 19th Coalition of the Parties at Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Panama where 184 governments and conservationist Parties convened to consider applying major trade protections for plants and animals in the wildlife trade.
Read MoreHumpback whales steam among the fish, spouts blowing in the wind as they forage in the waves. We find the whales often feeding in or close to the shipping lane. Each year as many as 200,000 ships enter and exit the Golden Gate, and according to the Point Blue Conservation Science as many as 83 humpback, blue and fin whales are killed by ships on the West Coast each year.
Read MoreSharks: The Elders of the OceanChristina Briegleb Dinosaurs have long fascinated scientists, eager children, and curious adults alike. As relicts of the past, they have captivated our imagination and we […]
Read MoreJoin our Friends at Only One Expressing your Support to List 3 Families of sharks and Rays
An upcoming vote at the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) at CoP19 November among over 180 nations could protect endangered sharks from the shark fin trade Please you add your name to this letter urging world leaders to end the shark fin trade driving the decline of many species of sharks.
As we float in shark alley, the wildlife biologists on the island make their own recordings of seabirds, seals, shark attacks and human visitation. Finally, it is time to head back to the mainland, and reeling in the decoy, we are delighted by a goodbye view of a white shark passing beneath unseen but for the video, to be enjoyed on the monitor afterwards and here.
Read MoreIt’s unlawful to place any shark bait, shark lure, or shark chum into the water within one nautical mile of any shoreline, pier, or jetty when a white shark is either visible or known to be present.” US Fish and Wildlife Code
Read MoreScientists evaluate the health risk assessment of globally consumed shark meat and shark fins.
Eating shark meat and shark fins are bad for sharks, but it is also bad for human health.”
Read MoreThis year delegates and scientists will convene to consider increasing international trade protection for hundreds of species of plants and animals under CITES, a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) entered into force in 1975, and became the only treaty to ensure that international trade in plants and animals does not threaten their survival in the wild. A State or country that has agreed to implement the Convention is called a Party to CITES. Currently there are 184 Parties, including 183 member countries and the European Union.
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