BURNABY (Canada)- One in seven species of deepwater sharks and rays are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, according to a new eight-year study released today in the journal Science. Specifically, the analysis found that sharks and rays are caught as incidental bycatch in fisheries targeting more commercially valuable species.Continue Reading
MARRAKECH (Morocco)- Bad news for the shortfin mako shark. Fishing nations gathered for the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) have failed to adopt recommended limits to protect shortfin mako sharks from overfishing or strengthen the regional ban on shark finning. The onlyContinue Reading
Conservation groups are calling for national and international protections for shortfin mako sharks based on a new scientific assessment that finds the North Atlantic population has been depleted and is continuing to be seriously overfished. The shortfin mako – the world’s fastest shark — is sought for meat, fins, andContinue Reading
FORT LAUDERDALE (USA)- The ocean’s fastest shark is being threatened by overfishing. A new study using satellite tracking by researchers from Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI), the University of Rhode Island and other colleagues shows that the fishing mortality rate of the shortfin mako in the western North AtlanticContinue Reading
BOURNEMOUTH (UK)- They help balance the ecosystems in the ocean, and can possibly help with a cure for cancer. Now they sharks also turn out to play an important role in preventing climate change, so say scientists of the British Bournemouth University. ‘Overfishing and shark finning may result on more greenhouseContinue Reading
HALIFAX (CANADA)- The future for porbeagle sharks is still not looking too bright. A decade after being declared an endangered species only a quart remains of the population that was around in the ‘60’s. The porbeagle shark remains at risk, says a group of Canadian scientists. The Committee on theContinue Reading
GILBERT ISLANDS (KIRIBATI)- Overfishing is not just a sign of modern times. Hundreds of years ago species vanished by overfishing. That is the important conclusion of a study of ancient Pacific weaponry. In Kiribati at least two shark species. A collection of vicious weapons made of shark teeth reveals thatContinue Reading