At the 15th Meeting of the Parties (CoP15) to the Bonn Convention (CMS) in Brazil, governments adopted new, far-reaching protection measures for several highly endangered shark species. The focus is on thresher sharks as well as great and scalloped hammerhead sharks.
The decisions taken at the end of March in Campo Grande include, among other things, new listings in Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). These now affect all three thresher shark species (common thresher shark, Pacific thresher shark and bigeye thresher shark) as well as the scalloped hammerhead and the great hammerhead.
Strict protection under Appendix I
Inclusion in Appendix I obliges Parties to implement strict national protection measures. This includes an absolute ban on fishing for the listed species as well as the overarching obligation to drastically reduce human-caused mortality throughout the species’ entire range.
Both scalloped and great hammerheads are already listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. The various thresher shark species are considered ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Endangered’. As migratory, transboundary species that are often targeted or caught as bycatch by fisheries — in the case of hammerheads particularly for the illegal fin trade — international cooperation is considered essential to preserve the populations.
Call for consistent implementation
Animal welfare and environmental organisations welcome the new agreements. Dana Tricarico of the Global Shark Conservation Team at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) emphasised that the decision reflected the seriousness of the situation: ‘Iconic marine wanderers such as great hammerheads and thresher sharks, which have already been classified by the IUCN as endangered, should be fully protected.’
Tricarico also emphasised that these threatened shark species must receive the same attention and protection as sea turtles or dolphins. However, the actual success of the listing will now largely depend on how quickly and effectively individual countries implement these new obligations at the national level.
Appendix II listing for the Patagonian smooth-hound
In addition to the decisions on Appendix I, the governments also agreed to include the Patagonian smooth-hound (Mustelus schmitti) in Appendix II of the Convention, which is intended to promote international cooperation in stock management.
This species is endemic to the southwest Atlantic off the coasts of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil and is heavily fished, particularly in artisanal fisheries. According to the WCS, populations of the Patagonian smooth-hound have collapsed by over 80 percent in the last three generations, which is why the species is now also classified as ‘endangered’. Coordinated management is now intended to prevent further overfishing.
