Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Elasmobranch Conservation NAFO Progress & Priorities GCFM

Home , Skate (fish)

OCEANIC WHITETIP BIGEYE THRESHER SILKY SHARK HAMMERHEAD SHARK SHARK (Carcharhinus SHARK (Carcharhinus longimanus) (Alopias superciliosus) falciformis) (Sphyrna mokarran) 17 22 22 42 YEARS YEARS YEARS YEARS

Juvenile years Mature years GREENLAND SHARK (Somniosus microcephalus) 400 YEARS 20 15 MSY 10 F:F 5 0

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 B:BMSY

COFI 2018

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Elasmobranch Conservation NAFO Progress & Priorities GCFM

Sharks, skates, and rays standard for shark finning ban Despite this progress, several Northwest (elasmobranchs) deserve special enforcement (2016) Atlantic elasmobranch populations conservation focus because low ¡ Amendments that modernize the under NAFO purview are in a precarious reproductive capacity leaves most NAFO Convention entered into state and in need of domestic and species exceptionally vulnerable to force (2017), underscoring Parties’ international safeguards. NAFO’s total overexploitation. commitments to: allowable catch (TAC) limit for skates ICCAT has consistently been set higher than The Shark League has been o Preventing overfishing and levels advised by scientists. Excessive working towards the following for ensuring long-term sustainability catch limits leave room for serious elasmobranchs under NAFO: o Heeding the best scientific advice overfishing, particularly for Thorny ¡ available Measures to improve catch Skates. There is also need to examine reporting and minimize incidental o Applying the precautionary the sustainability of exceptionally mortality approach vulnerable deep sea shark species that ¡ Fishing limits based on science and o Minimizing incidental catch are taken incidentally in NAFO fisheries, the precautionary approach, and and harmful impacts on marine particularly the Greenland Shark. ¡ Protections for especially ecosystems vulnerable species. o Preserving biological diversity, and Progress since 2016 o Collecting and sharing sound fishing data in a timely manner. The following steps taken over GFCM ¡ the last two years can improve the NAFO scientists completed a Area of outlook for elasmobranchs: groundbreaking review of the Application ¡ NAFO adopted a ban on at-sea status and conservation needs of NAFO Convention removal of shark fins, the gold Greenland Sharks (2018). Area

ICCAT Convention Area

Iceland Norway Russian © SAUL GONOR/SEAPICS.COM France, European Federation Canada St Pierre Union et Miquelon

Albania United UK-OT, States Bermuda Algeria Tunisia St Vincent & the Egypt Curacao Grenadines Belize Cabo Mauritiana Ghana Guatemala Verde Senegal Nigeria El Salvador Equatorial Gabon Guinea Honduras Guinea Brazil Sierra Nicaragua Leone Angola Panama Namibia Liberia Venezuela Côte South d'Ivoire Africa Trinidad and Tobago Sao Tomé and Principe Spotlight on Greenland Sharks Spotlight on Thorny Skates Adherence to scientific advice is a (Somniosus microcephalus) (Amblyraja radiata) key element of the amended NAFO Convention and to the national policies The Greenland Shark, the second largest Thorny Skates are widely distributed of many NAFO Parties. Yet, the NAFO carnivorous shark, is considered the across a variety of substrates down to Skate TAC has been significantly higher world’s longest living vertebrate. In 2016, to 1,400m on both sides of the Atlantic. than the level advised by the Scientific scientists estimated that Greenland Females mature at around age 11 and Council since the limit was first agreed Sharks don’t reach sexual maturity until produce only about 15 viable hatchlings in 2004. The current TAC exceeds ~150 years of age and can live more than each year after incubation that can last scientific advice by more than 2,000t. 400 years. This finding and inferences three years. Thorny Skates have been More detailed catch data are needed about the species’ vulnerability to severely depleted in the southern part for scientists to develop a robust overfishing led to widespread concern of their distribution, declining by as Thorny Skate assessment and predict and review by NAFO’s Scientific Council. much as 95% since the 1970s in some the rebuilding progress expected at US waters. various TAC levels. Bigeye Thresher shark The NAFO Scientific Council has The Scientific Council is now finalizing Oceanic Whitetip shark demonstrated that: its advice on NAFO skate catch limits ¡ for consideration by NAFO Parties Hammerhead Skates have low resilience to fishing shark pressure due to low population at the annual meeting in September.

Silky shark growth rates Efforts by major skate fishing Parties ¡ (EU, Canada, Russia) to agree the The Division 3LNO Thorny Skate Greenland allocation of skate quota cuts ahead of shark population is low, and the annual meeting are needed to avoid 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 ¡ 450 NAFO management has resulted in a stalemate and facilitate long overdue age at maturity (in years) estimated longevity (in years) little stock rebuilding. alignment with scientific advice. Greenland Sharks are associated with 60 the high latitudes of the North Atlantic Thorny Skate biomass in Divisions 3LMOPs. and Arctic waters at depths up to 3,000 50 Source: NAFO Scientific Council metres. Growing to more than 6m (21 feet), they were heavily fished in 40 the first half of the 20th century for liver 30 oil. Today, Greenland Sharks are taken primarily as incidental catch in a variety 20 of fisheries, and also targeted for meat Biomass index by vessels from Greenland and Iceland. 10 Blim NAFO scientists have highlighted the 0 extreme longevity and low fecundity 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 2016 of Greenland Sharks, and noted other Regional Fishery Management Organization decisions to prohibit Call To Action coverage and the level of detail retention of inherently vulnerable shark reported on catches (length, species. The Scientific Council’s final The Shark League urges NAFO location, etc.), particularly for Greenland Shark advice will be ready in Parties to take the following Thorny Skates time for consideration at the 2018 NAFO ¡ priority actions for elasmobranchs Direct the NAFO Scientific annual meeting in September. ¡ Prohibit retention and reduce Council to expand on the next incidental mortality of steps for: Greenland Sharks o minimizing mortality of ¡ Agree a NAFO Skate TAC that deep sea sharks, and does not exceed the Scientific o establishing reference Council advice points for a Thorny Skate ¡ Significantly increase observer rebuilding plan.

SHARK ADVOCATES INTERNATIONAL

sharkadvocates.org sharktrust.org projectaware.org ecologyaction.ca Sonja Fordham Ali Hood Dominique Albert Shannon Arnold President Director of Conservation Associate Director Global Communications Marine Policy Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]