U.S. Proposes Ban on Killing Sharks

Published Nov 19, 2004 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

Currently, there are few international restrictions on shark fishing, and the U.S. has taken steps to ban the killing of sharks for their fins. The government has requested a reduction in the number of fishing vessels allow to hunt sharks, and has requested that more data be collected on shark populations.

These announcements were made by the U.S. at the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) that was recently held in New Orleans.

"I think that sharks have been abused over the last 10 years," say William Hograth, the Director of the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service. "We haven't managed sharks in a very sustainable manner."

Shark finning is the act of cutting off the shark's fin and throwing the carcass overboard. Fins are a delicacy in Asia and command a high price. Therefore, many fishermen catch the sharks, cutoff their fins and throw the body overboard to save space and weight on the vessels.

The demand for shark fins has increased, and the United Nations estimates that more than 100 million sharks are killed each year. Even worse, in a study by Dalhousie University last year, marine scientists estimate that 90 percent of the world's large fish, including sharks, have disappeared since 1950.