Ecuador has for the first time set fixed annual limits on landings of three shark species caught as bycatch. According to an analysis by Infobae, fisheries may land up to 3,624 tonnes of blue shark, 551 tonnes of silky shark and 149 tonnes of shortfin mako per year. The agreement was reportedly signed in Manta on August 6, 2026.
Targeted shark fishing is prohibited in Ecuador. However, sharks may be marketed under certain conditions if they are accidentally caught while fishing for other species. The new quotas are intended to put a numerical limit on this previously difficult-to-control category and will be distributed across industrial and artisanal fleets.
Three species, three very different limits
The largest share is allocated to the blue shark (Prionace glauca). The limit is much lower for the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), and lower still for the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus). A quota is not a catch target: it is the upper limit on permitted bycatch. Exceeding it may be penalized as fishing without authorization.
The numbers alone do not show how many individual animals are affected. The weight depends, among other things, on the species, size and age structure of the sharks landed. For the ecological assessment, it is therefore crucial whether catches, discards and sizes are documented completely and comprehensibly.
Study warns of excessive fishing mortality
A recent study in Regional Studies in Marine Science modeled seven shark species caught in Ecuador. Without fishing, all species examined showed population growth. Under current fishing mortality, however, the model projected declines in five species, including the silky shark and shortfin mako.
For these five overfished species, estimated mortality was more than 67 percent above levels that would support stable populations. The blue shark still showed growth in the model; however, this statement cannot automatically be applied to every region, fleet or future development.
Quotas alone do not solve the monitoring problem
In addition to reducing fishing mortality, the researchers recommend minimum catch sizes above the size at sexual maturity, protection for pregnant females and seasonal closures during key reproductive periods. These measures require biological data and monitoring that go beyond an annual tonnage limit.
How Ecuador monitors the quotas will be crucial: landings must be correctly assigned to species, accounted for between fleets and published promptly. Animals that are not landed are just as important, as sharks can die on fishing gear or after being released without appearing in landing statistics.
The new limits provide an initial measurable framework for permitted shark bycatch. Whether they improve protection depends on their scientific basis, transparent monitoring and a willingness to lower quotas if populations decline.
