GFCM) Elasmobranch Conservation Progress & Priorities ICCAT

Home , Angelshark, Basking shark, Lamna, Oxynotus, Sawback angelshark, 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

NAFO GCFM

COFI 2018

General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Elasmobranch Conservation Progress & Priorities ICCAT

Sharks, skates, and rays The Shark League has been working Recent Progress (elasmobranchs) deserve special toward the following under the GFCM: conservation focus because low ¡ The following actions taken over the Measures to improve elasmobranch reproductive capacity leaves most last two years represent significant catch reporting progress for Mediterranean species exceptionally vulnerable ¡ to overexploitation. Mediterranean Full domestic-level implementation elasmobranch conservation: ¡ elasmobranchs are particularly of GFCM/36/2012/3 (to protect 24 Increasing attention to Parties’ beleaguered. International and species), and compliance with respect to ¡ domestic fisheries management A stronger ban on finning (slicing GFCM/36/2012/3, including a improvements are urgently off a shark’s fins and discarding the GFCM requirement for reporting on needed to protect these vulnerable body at sea). national implementation, and a new species from overfishing and FAO species identification guide that finning. flags GFCM-listed elasmobranchs ¡ A proposal from the European In 2012, the GFCM banned retention Union (EU) to facilitate improved of the 24 species of exceptionally enforcement of the GFCM shark vulnerable Mediterranean finning ban by requiring that sharks elasmobranch species listed be landed with fins attached on Annex II of the Barcelona GFCM ¡ Convention. Implementation of this Domestic prohibitions on retaining Area of listed elasmobranch species adopted measure (GFCM/36/2012/3) through Application domestic regulations, however, has by the EU (all 24 species), Turkey (11 been lacking. species), Lebanon (10 species), and NAFO Convention Albania (3 species). Area Species covered by GFCM/36/2012/3 Shortfin Mako Isurus oxyrinchus CR Porbeagle Lamna nasus CR Smooth Hammerhead Sphyrna zygaena CR Angular Rough Shark Oxynotus centrina CR Sawback Angelshark Squatina aculeata CR

Smoothback Angelshark Squatina oculata CR Angelshark Squatina squatina CR Sandy Skate Leucoraja circularis CR Maltese Skate Leucoraja melitensis CR ICCAT Convention Area Common Skate complex Dipturus batis spp. CR Spiny Butterfly Ray Gymnura altavela CR Smalltooth Sawfish Pristis pectinata CR Common Sawfish Pristis pristis CR White Shark Carcharodon carcharias CR Sand Tiger Carcharias taurus CR Smalltooth Sand Tiger Odontaspis ferox CR Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximus EN Giant Devil Ray Mobula mobular EN White Skate Rostroraja alba EN Blackchin Guitarfish Rhinobatos cemiculus EN Common Guitarfish Rhinobatos rhinobatos EN Scalloped Hammerhead Sphyrna lewini EN Great Hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran EN Tope Shark Galeorhinus galeus VU Regional IUCN Red List Status: CR = Critically Endangered; EN = Endangered; VU = Vulnerable © MINDEN/ALAMY

Iceland Norway Russian 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 Threatened Guitarfish in Lebanon). Romania and The GFCM has been reporting on Mediterranean Elasmobranchs Bulgaria are the only GFCM Parties Parties’ implementation of the that have regulations protecting all 24 elasmobranch protection measure, Monitoring compliance of GFCM-listed species (through the EU) but the process has not been detailed GFCM/36/2012/3 is complicated by and don’t report landing any. These or rigorous. All but two GFCM Parties exceptionally poor data reporting countries do, however, land (without claim full domestic implementation by most Mediterranean countries. limits) other elasmobranchs not of GFCM/36/2012/3 yet many Half of GFCM Parties fishing in the protected by GFCM (primarily Spiny lack basic protections for listed Mediterranean are reporting 97% or Dogfish and Thornback Ray). elasmobranchs, and landings of more of their elasmobranch landings these species could also be masked in aggregate categories (not to the The GFCM measure does not cover through widespread reporting species, genus or family level). many elasmobranchs that are in the aggregate. The following classified by IUCN as threatened (or table offers a more realistic and In addition, some Parties have Data Deficient). grim picture: continued to report landings of the Endangered and Critically Endangered most endangered GFCM-listed species Mediterranean Elasmobranchs not (such as Angelsharks in Tunisia, covered by GFCM/36/2012/3 Shortfin Makos in Libya, and Common Blue Shark Prionace glauca CR Gulper Centrophorus CR Shark granulosus

Spiny Squalus EN Implementation status reported to GFCM No. of GFCM listed species protected nationally GFCM Party shark & ray Total landings (tonnes) 2012-2016 % of shark/ray landings reported in problematic aggregate category Dogfish acanthias 0 Libya 25,336 99.9 Bramble Echinorhinus EN 0 Tunisia 14,594 65 Shark brucus 0 Egypt 8,734 100 Common Alopias EN 24 Italy 6,983 66 Thresher Shark vulpinus 24 Greece 3,681 100 Bigeye Alopias EN 24 Spain 3,476 53 Thresher Shark superciliosus 0 Algeria 2,496 99.6 Rough Skate Raja radula EN 11 Turkey 1,600 100 Shagreen Leucoraja EN 24 Croatia 989 73 Skate fullonica 24 France 692 15 Bull Pteromylaeus EN 24 Bulgaria 602 0 Ray bovinus 24 Malta 399 31 © MICHAEL GALLAGHER 0 Morocco 375 97 0 Syria 354 100 3 Albania 204 100 24 Israel 180 76 Call To Action 0 Montenegro 145 100 ¡ 24 Cyprus 65 98.5 To improve the outlook for Requirements for reporting 10 Lebanon 44 64 exceptionally threatened elasmobranch landings to 24 Romania 23 0 Mediterranean elasmobranchs, the species level 24 Slovenia 7 100 the Shark League urges the ¡ Expansion of the prohibited 0 Japan 0 0 GFCM and individual Parties to 24 Monaco 0 0 species list to include all work immediately toward the Implementation in progress Endangered and Critically following priority actions: Implemented ¡ Endangered elasmobranchs No reporting Continued national ¡ Adoption of the shark “fins implementation of attached” landing rule GFCM/36/2012/3, proposed by the EU. particularly in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey

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]