Post by SHARK on Apr 21, 2009 21:28:41 GMT 1
SHARK conservationists today moved to defend a controversial dogfish bycatch limit and underlined that the measure is a serious attempt to rebuild shark populations which are 95% depleted.
Yesterday, Mike Park the executive chairman of the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association said that the measure was without a doubt sparking more discarding and skippers were questioning the rationale behind it, given the European Commission’s strategy of cutting discarding.
But today, Save our Sharks (SOS) an angling organisation, dedicated to conserving and protecting UK sharks said they are “ genuinely sorry” if the 5% bycatch limit is causing hardship with fishermen but the bycatch rule is a serious attempt to rebuild populations.
Chairman of SOS and Scottish Charter skipper Ian Burrett said: “Spurdog are among Europe’s most imperilled shark species. Whether the present bycatch and TAC levels are low enough to allow for regeneration, only time will tell, but all scientific advice is for a zero catch. The recent NWWRAC and yesterday’s response from Mike Park demonstrates why we need an eco-based management system.
“The IUCN-World Conservation Union has classified the Northeast Atlantic population as ‘Critically Endangered’ and European shark scientists warn that stock is in danger of collapse. Despite this grave status, the study and conservation of this ecologically and economically valuable species continue to receive insufficient priority from European governments and researchers. “
Spurdog are a typical shark with a slow growth rate, high age at first maturity, long gestation period and low number of offspring, which all contributes, to a low rate of population increase, he said .
Mr Burrett added “Spurdog are found in same age and sex groups which makes them particularly vulnerable to fishing pressure as they are often taken in fisheries that target the mature heavier females and thereby damage population structure. They are also caught in mixed fisheries driven by other fish species which are more productive. The problem is, the less common elasmobranches may be extirpated while the target fishery remains viable.
“Although the EU TAC for spurdog in the North and Norwegian Sea has been reduced annually for many years, it has remained far in excess of the scientific advice and often above the prior year’s landings. In 2007, this TAC was reduced by 20% to 841t and spurdog bycatch in the North Sea was limited to 5% of the live weight of the retained catch. Also in 2007, the area in which Northeast Atlantic spurdog catch is limited was expanded., but the corresponding TAC (2828 t) is roughly equivalent to the region’s spurdog landings in 2006 (2087 t) and therefore not restrictive.
“The discard situation may be a problem but we hope responsible fishermen will help contribute to the conservation of this important species and will follow good practice when handling live spurdog so they can be released with the maximum chance of survival.”
Published 18th march
Yesterday, Mike Park the executive chairman of the Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association said that the measure was without a doubt sparking more discarding and skippers were questioning the rationale behind it, given the European Commission’s strategy of cutting discarding.
But today, Save our Sharks (SOS) an angling organisation, dedicated to conserving and protecting UK sharks said they are “ genuinely sorry” if the 5% bycatch limit is causing hardship with fishermen but the bycatch rule is a serious attempt to rebuild populations.
Chairman of SOS and Scottish Charter skipper Ian Burrett said: “Spurdog are among Europe’s most imperilled shark species. Whether the present bycatch and TAC levels are low enough to allow for regeneration, only time will tell, but all scientific advice is for a zero catch. The recent NWWRAC and yesterday’s response from Mike Park demonstrates why we need an eco-based management system.
“The IUCN-World Conservation Union has classified the Northeast Atlantic population as ‘Critically Endangered’ and European shark scientists warn that stock is in danger of collapse. Despite this grave status, the study and conservation of this ecologically and economically valuable species continue to receive insufficient priority from European governments and researchers. “
Spurdog are a typical shark with a slow growth rate, high age at first maturity, long gestation period and low number of offspring, which all contributes, to a low rate of population increase, he said .
Mr Burrett added “Spurdog are found in same age and sex groups which makes them particularly vulnerable to fishing pressure as they are often taken in fisheries that target the mature heavier females and thereby damage population structure. They are also caught in mixed fisheries driven by other fish species which are more productive. The problem is, the less common elasmobranches may be extirpated while the target fishery remains viable.
“Although the EU TAC for spurdog in the North and Norwegian Sea has been reduced annually for many years, it has remained far in excess of the scientific advice and often above the prior year’s landings. In 2007, this TAC was reduced by 20% to 841t and spurdog bycatch in the North Sea was limited to 5% of the live weight of the retained catch. Also in 2007, the area in which Northeast Atlantic spurdog catch is limited was expanded., but the corresponding TAC (2828 t) is roughly equivalent to the region’s spurdog landings in 2006 (2087 t) and therefore not restrictive.
“The discard situation may be a problem but we hope responsible fishermen will help contribute to the conservation of this important species and will follow good practice when handling live spurdog so they can be released with the maximum chance of survival.”
Published 18th march