80 Million Sharks Killed Every Year Despite Finning Regulations, Study Reveals

EAT

Jan 17

Shark mortality rates continued to rise at an alarming rate due to the fishing industry, with scientists calling for stronger protection measures.

Sharks are still dying at an alarming rate in fisheries each year, despite increased global regulations to combat finning, according to a new study published in the journal Science

Between 2012 and 2019, the number of sharks killed by the fishing industry rose from an estimated 76 million per year to more than 80 million, the report reveals, with scientists warning that more needs to be done to protect these apex predators.

The researchers say that the number of deaths could be as high as 101 million due to the lack of data and underreporting by countries.

At least 25 million of the sharks killed were from species that are at risk of extinction, including the scalloped hammerhead, the oceanic whitetip, and the great white shark.

Multiple shark species have been pushed to the brink of extinction as a result of international demand for shark fins mostly for use in shark fin soup. To obtain these fins, fishermen slice them off live sharks before throwing the animals back into the sea to drown, starve, be eaten alive by other predators, or die of blood loss.

This practice, known as finning, is now prohibited in around 70 percent of countries and jurisdictions.

Despite these regulations reducing the frequency of finning, the amount of sharks being killed for the trade has only increased, according to the data. Now, instead of throwing the animals back into the sea once their fins have been cut off, fisheries are landing the whole animals, contributing to a boom in shark meat.

“The unsustainable fishing of sharks is a global problem of staggering proportions that could eventually lead to the extinction of some of our planet’s most ancient and revered species,” said Darcy Bradley, a scientist with the Nature Conservancy in California, a co-author of the study. “We found that despite myriad regulations intended to curb shark overfishing, the total number of sharks being killed by fisheries each year is not decreasing. If anything, it’s slightly increasing.”

Bradley and his colleagues spent three years collecting and analyzing shark mortality and fishery regulation data, uncovering that despite the tenfold increase in regulations on shark fishing and finning, shark mortality has increased by an estimated 4 percent in coastal fisheries between 2012 and 2019.

Most regulations, introduced by national governments and regional fisheries management organizations, were aimed at eliminating the wasteful practice of shark finning. Nations including Brazil, Taiwan, and Venezuela implemented measures requiring fishers to land sharks whole, to discourage the practice of finning.

The study suggests that the established finning regulations had minimal impact on mortality and might have even contributed to an increase. This could be due to potential incentives for the full use of sharks, leading to the emergence of additional markets for shark meat and cartilage, among other products.

“Widespread legislation designed to prevent shark finning was successful in addressing this wasteful practice, but did not reduce mortality overall,” said lead author Boris Worm, a researcher at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

Shark meat is increasingly found in various food products such as fish and chips. Laurenne Schiller, a marine conservation scientist and co-author of the study told The Times that “sharks are part of a global supply chain. There are countries all over the world that are consuming shark meat and sometimes not even knowing it.”

Meanwhile, shark cartilage and liver oil are ingredients found in the medical and cosmetics industries. “Many beauty products contain squalene,” Schiller says, “which usually, but not necessarily, derives from sharks. So it’s good to look for products that use plant-based alternatives instead.”

Although the data seems dire, scientists say there is hope and there are solutions. Experts stress the importance of implementing more targeted measures to address shark mortality. Suggestions include the prohibition of fishing in specific areas and mandating fishers to release accidentally caught vulnerable species.

“Our analysis highlights the need for improved transparency and reporting requirements,” said Sara Orofino, a data analyst at UC Santa Barbara. “Shark catches are often self-reported, aggregated into broad groups, and crucial information on discarding practices is often lacking. Accurate, comprehensive, and accessible data are critical to effectively evaluate how well regulations are working in safeguarding sharks and other threatened species.”

“Complete bans on shark fishing, through protective measures such as shark sanctuaries can be successful, highlighting an opportunity to prioritize these and other area-based conservation measures,” added Bradley.

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