Global Shark Fisheries and Conservation

Globally, there is still tremendous pressure on shark populations because

• recreational fishers still pursue trophy sharks.
• sharks are still fished commercially for meat.
• shark fins are traded in at least 125 countries.
• shark skin is used for leather.
• the shark liver oil industry is gaining a stronghold in developing countries.
• shark cartilage is made into medicinal and food products (Rose, 1996).

Let’s look more closely at the data.

In the United States, from 1980 to 1992, the combined recreational and commercial shark catch in the United States averaged 22,000 tonnes per year (National Marine Fisheries Service, 1991). This number represented 1.5 to 2.0 times estimate of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by the National Marine Fisheries Service (1991). MSY represents the portion of the total population of a species that can be removed annually without doing long-term damage to the stock.

Worldwide, a minimum of 30 to 70 million sharks are killed annually (Rose, 1996). Catches exceed 10,000 tonnes in 19 countries or territories. Total catch of sharks for 1994 was 730,000 tonnes. Indonesia, whose reported catches rose from 42,900 tonnes in 1980 to 92,900 in 1994, is the world’s leading shark fishing nation. The U.S. reported 7,436 tonnes in 1994, up from 2,554 tonnes in 1985.