International Meeting to Protect the World's Sharks Convenes in Costa Rica

San José, Costa Rica, 15 February 2016 – Marine wildlife experts from more than 30 governments, the EU, UN agencies IGOs, NGOs and academia are convening in Costa Rica's capital this week to agree on urgent measures to protect shark and ray populations from extinction.

The International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that as many as a quarter of the 1,041 existing species of sharks, rays and closely related chimaera are in danger of extinction, with only 23 per cent of species categorized as Least Concern – the lowest rate of all vertebrates.

Sharks are highly vulnerable to overexploitation as they grow slowly, mature late and produce very few offspring. The rapid and largely unregulated increase in target fisheries and bycatch have depleted many populations of sharks and rays worldwide. A study by Boris Worm and team estimated that between 63 and 273 million sharks are killed every year. This is multiplied by other threats, such as destruction of habitats and migratory corridors or entanglement in and ingestion of marine litter.

To address this worrying trend, the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (Sharks MOU) was signed in 2010. Through its Conservation Plan, the MOU aims to improve the understanding of migratory sharks and rays, ensure the sustainability of fisheries, protect critical habitats and migration corridors, increase public awareness and participation, and enhance international cooperation.

The MOU, developed under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) has so far been signed by 38 countries and the European Union. The Signatories meeting in Costa Rica next week will consider to bring further 22 shark and ray species under the umbrella of the MOU's Conservation Plan to better cater to their conservation needs.

Delegates will also discuss strategies for better collaboration with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations and identify priority conservation measures for specific species that will help ensure their survival.

 

Press and media contacts:

Florian Keil, Coordinator of the Common Information Management, Communication and Outreach Team of the UNEP/CMS and UNEP/AEWA Secretariats, tel: +49 (0)228 815 2451, e-mail: [email protected]

Veronika Lenarz, Public Information, UNEP/CMS Secretariat, tel: +49 (0)228 815 2409, e-mail: [email protected]

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Twitter: @BonnConvention


Fact Sheet on Sharks MOU

Last updated on 09 September 2020

Type: 
News
Country: 
Costa Rica
Region: 
South & Central America & The Caribbean
Threats: 
Bycatch
Unsustainable hunting and trapping
Habitat loss and degradation
Human Disturbance
Species group: 
Fish