A new study published today in the scientific journal Marine Policy shows that banning the sale of shark fins within the United States can actually harm ongoing shark conservation efforts.
David Shiffman of SFU’s Earth2Ocean research group and Robert Hueter from the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida say that a proposed nationwide ban on shark fin sales within the United States is a misguided and ineffective approach to protecting sharks.
A new study published today in the scientific journal Marine Policy shows that banning the sale of shark fins within the United States can actually harm ongoing shark conservation efforts.
David Shiffman of SFU’s Earth2Ocean research group and Robert Hueter from the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida say that a proposed nationwide ban on shark fin sales within the United States is a misguided and ineffective approach to protecting sharks.
“Banning the sale of shark fins would not make it illegal to catch and kill sharks in the United States. It would only regulate how the parts of dead sharks can be used,” says Shiffman.
He says the population decline of sharks has been almost entirely driven by overfishing. However, the U.S. has played a leadership role in promoting sustainable shark fisheries around the world. Those fisheries are comparatively well-managed, using catch quotas based on species’ population status, closed areas and closed seasons and stricter protections for more threatened species.”
Continue reading at Simon Fraser University.
Photo via Simon Fraser University.
