Over the last two decades, sharks have become increasingly emblematic of the world’s most threatened wildlife, drawing heightened attention from the scientific community, regulatory bodies, and advocacy groups. A decade ago, we published a study that found that 100 million sharks are killed each year, prompting calls for enhanced conservation and the establishment of Shark Sanctuaries. However, a new study brings a sobering revelation — the global mortality of sharks has continued to rise, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current conservation measures.
Unfulfilled Promise of Protective Regulations
The study examined shark mortality across time and space, comparing mortality rates to existing conservation regulations. Contrary to expectations, the findings show a harsh reality — instead of declining, shark mortality surged from a minimum of 76 to 80 million between 2012 and 2019. Importantly, approximately 25 million of those dead sharks belonged to a threatened species, like hammerhead sharks, painting a grim picture of the ongoing challenges faced by sharks globally.
Tiger shark in Florida, where it is illegal to possess, kill, sell, or exchange tiger sharks and other species in state waters. 📸 © Christine Ward-Paige
Futile Attempts to Curb Finning
A cornerstone of shark conservation policies has been the prohibition of shark finning, a cruel practice involving the removal of a shark’s fins while it’s alive and discarding the rest of the shark. The intent behind these regulations was to halt this wasteful practice and reduce targeted shark mortality. However, the tenacity of shark finners proved formidable, finding ways to exploit loopholes and evolve in response to policy changes.
As regulations against shark finning were enforced, the industry adapted swiftly. For instance, they started (unbelievably) sewing many shark fins to a single shark body to land the fins ‘attached’. Again forcing policies to evolve quickly to require fins be “naturally attached.” As policies developed, the industry further used non-fishing mother-ships to dispose of shark bodies. The intricate dance between shark finners and anti-shark finning policies showed the lengths the shark finning industry was willing to go to for shark fins.
A Diverse Marketplace: The New Threat Landscape
While anti-finning policies developed, a shift in market demand was pursued across various industries, adding layers of complexity to conservation efforts. As more full sharks were landed, new markets for shark meat and oils emerged, presenting unprecedented challenges.
The diversification in demand amplified the complexity of the conservation landscape, a challenge this new study critically uncovers.
Beacons of Hope: Shark Sanctuaries, CITES Listing, Public Awareness
Despite the apparent ineffectiveness of anti-finning policies, the study indicates that there was an increase in live releases for CITES-listed species, including hammerhead, thresher, and oceanic whitetip sharks across various fisheries areas.
Public awareness campaigns and pressure from large seafood retailers for sustainable seafood products were also considered to be amongst the most effective conservation strategies.
One industry representative noted, “We are seeing a big push from [the] market side, which is having a bigger impact at this stage relative to the regulatory side [because] if you lose your [eco-]certification, it would be diabolical for business and a huge company risk”.
The Urgency of Real-Time Tracking: A Call for Action
As we grapple with the study’s reality, pressing questions emerge.
What has transpired in the five years following the examined data that extends only to 2019? What if this ineffectiveness hadn’t been discovered now, or ever?
Alternatively, where would we be if we had discovered that anti-finning policies weren’t working 15 years ago?
The results of this study provide a critical juncture for reflection today. Without it, we might have continued to believe in the efficacy of anti-finning policies while the global mortality of sharks surged unabated.
Way forward needs to be real-time and automated
This study underscores the urgency and rationale behind the creation of eOceans — a platform designed to perform analyses like those in this study in near real-time, with automated evaluations of fisheries and policies, providing the necessary insights to iterate conservation strategies in a timely, efficient, and effective way.
This real-time approach is crucial to aligning conservation efforts with the dynamic changes in business, society, and our oceans.
To get things moving for sharks and rays in your community, log your observations in the eOceans app and share our posters (below) on boats and bulletin boards.
Shark and ray diversity poster to share with your community. Download this and more information here.
eOceans — For the ocean. For us.