{"id":4103,"date":"2014-11-09T12:29:51","date_gmt":"2014-11-09T18:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pretoma.org\/?p=4103"},"modified":"2014-11-09T12:29:51","modified_gmt":"2014-11-09T18:29:51","slug":"historic-day-for-international-shark-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cremacr.org\/en\/historic-day-for-international-shark-conservation\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic day for international shark conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Quito, Ecuador \u2013 November 9, 2014)<\/em><\/p>\n

An unprecedented number of sharks, including two species of hammerheads, the entire genus of thresher sharks, and the silky shark species, were officially incorporated into Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) earlier today during its 11th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP) in Quito, Ecuador. The favorable vote by CMS\u2019s 120 member parties to list these six species of sharks in its Appendix II is the culmination of an eight month collaborative effort between an international group of NGOs, the CMS Secretariat, the European Union, and the Costa Rican, Ecuadorian, and Egyptian governments.<\/p>\n

\"Andy<\/a>

Andy Bystrom and Randall Arauz at the CMS’s CoP11<\/p><\/div>\n

“The species listed under Appendix II are very important for Costa Rica,” expressed Gina Cuza, Government of Costa Rica\u2019s CMS Focal Point. “Hammerhead sharks are a main attraction of the recreational dive industry, particularly in Cocos Island, while silky sharks are the most commonly caught species by our pelagic fisheries, where thresher sharks are also commonly caught.<\/p>\n

The listing of hammerhead, silky, and thresher sharks under Appendix II of CMS builds on the political momentum begun through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to stop the dramatic population decline of these exceptional marine creatures. Faced with growing international trade and domestic exploitation concerns, CMS will now play a role in initiating and encouraging greater collaboration among its member countries toward better conservation and management of these species.<\/p>\n

\u201cSharks face an uphill battle, there\u2019s no doubt about that,\u201d said a concerned Andy Bystrom of the Costa Rican organization PRETOMA. \u201cThis is why governments need to implement regional and global conservation strategies that include decreasing the fishing pressure on these animals and protecting essential coastal habitats where many shark species reproduce\u201d, he concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThreatened shark species, like the scalloped hammerheads we study and work to protect, will now have the conservation support of nations,\u201d said Todd Steiner, the executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network. \u201cThis is an exciting moment that we hope will lead to improved fishing practices and greater international cooperation to benefit sharks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Banner<\/a>“The work has only just begun, as many pressures exist due to the many interests at stake”, pointed out Randall Arauz, of PRETOMA. “If we don’t act now, it will be impossible to restore the populations of these threatened marine species, which are vital for the function of the marine ecosystem, and upon which humanity itself depends on.”<\/p>\n

All shark species proposals will be officially incorporated into the CMS\u2019s Appendix II during the CoP\u2019s final plenary on November 9, 2014.<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n