Protecting Our Sharks
As part of the ongoing efforts to sustainably manage Fiji’s fishing resources ensuring that they contribute to Fiji’s economic growth whilst also protecting them from being over-exploited, the Ministry of Fisheries is continuing to reach out to its stakeholders including the fishing industry, Civil Society Organisations, development partners, and the fishing communities to strengthen collaboration and support. Today’s article from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Fiji is a classic example of the importance of a collective approach between the Government and various stakeholders to address the dwindling shark numbers.
Sharks evolved around 400 million years ago, and have outlived dinosaurs. The 1,200+ species play many key roles in marine ecosystems. They do not simply dwell in the ocean; they shape it – making them indispensable to ocean health and the well-being of millions of people across the globe. Beyond their intrinsic value, oceanic sharks and rays are important for food, human livelihoods, tourism and their ecological roles.
Global shark populations are rapidly declining despite the increased observations and reports of sharks in Fiji waters recently. A recent study revealed that global populations of open-ocean sharks and rays have declined by 71% since the 1970s due to an 18-fold increase in relative fishing pressure. Half of all the 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays are now either critically endangered or endangered according to the IUCN Red List.
Insufficient species-specific data continues to thwart global efforts to manage sharks and rays. Much of the data required for effective fisheries management depends on reports provided by trained observers onboard fishing vessels.
Shark by-catch
Shark by-catch is a major issue faced by the global longline fishery and the Fiji offshore tuna fishery is working diligently to address the issue with partners and stakeholders including WWF.
By-catch is the unintentional catch of non-targeted species.
Sharks continue to make up a large percentage of annual by-catch in the Western and Central Pacific. Data from the WCPFC 16th Regular session of the Scientific Committee (SC16) reveal that there were an estimated total of 2,448 shark species interactions with Fiji’s longliners in 2019. In 2017, there were a total of 6,355 shark interactions. In 2018 there were 4,311 shark interactions. This data is taken from national Observer Reports with actual figures estimated to be much higher with 16.02 per cent observer coverage for 2019, 32.25 per cent observer coverage for 2018 and 29.9 per cent observer coverage for 2017 respectively.
Decline in shark interactions
The decline in shark interactions as officially reported over these years could possibly be linked to the implementation of relevant shark management measures including the ban on the use of trace wires and other restricted fishing gear as outlined in the Fiji Offshore Fisheries Management Act 2012 along with its regulations on the use of circle hooks; deep setting; prohibited use of shark lines; and improved observer coverage over the years. Reduced interactions could also be an early signal of overexploitation,
meaning that the interactions are reducing because there are perhaps less oceanic sharks in Fiji’s waters.
However, perhaps because of Fiji’s shark conservation efforts, an increased number of observations of sharks by the public and fishing industry alike have been reported on social and mainstream media.
Vilisoni Tarabe, WWF-Pacific’s Sustainable Fisheries and Seafood Programme Fisheries Policy Officer, highlighted that despite the perception of greater numbers of sharks there is a need to retain and improve current conservation and management measures across the region.
“Research provided by Dr Helen Sykes in 2018 highlighted that Fiji is home to at least 30 coastal and oceanic shark species with a quarter of these listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) . Other oceanic shark species impacted by large scale fishing operations are in peril.
Oceanic whitetip shark populations in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean has declined by 95 per cent and is now listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species..”
Report from Fiji
Data from the Fiji country reports submitted by Fiji Ministry of Fisheries to the WCPFC over the past three years that have been verified by certified national observers show that Fiji flagged fishing vessels are interacting less with sharks which could signal that populations are declining.
“It is important that current measures such as the shark fin import and export ban for example, are left in place and/or strengthened and that steps are taken by all WCPFC members to ensure compliance with the WCPFC Shark Management Measure (CMM 201904 ) which came into force on 1st November 2020, to help protect all shark species. We also need to continue working with our industry partners to improve awareness of these iconic species and to lead the way in terms of applying best practice by-catch mitigation,” Tarabe highlighted.
Globally, WWF is calling on all contracting parties (CPCs) of the four major tuna RFMOs (regional fisheries management organisations) to implement a set of urgently needed measures – including to increase observer coverage on all industrial fishing vessels to 100 per cent by 2030 and to introduce recovery plans for all critically endangered and endangered oceanic sharks and rays by 2026 – in order to prevent extinctions of heavily depleted populations of pelagic sharks and rays and to support their recovery.
WWF support
WWF continues to provide support towards Fiji’s shark conservation measures. This includes assisting the Fiji Government and aligned stakeholders in the development of Fiji’s National Plan of Action for Sharks implementing the WCPFC Shark Management Measure (CMM 2019-04).
Assistance has included providing by-catch guidelines titled ‘Bycatch Best Handling Practices: A Guideline for Skippers and Crew on Longline Fishing Vessels in Fiji’ and ‘Best Practice for By-catch Mitigation in Fiji’s Tuna Longline Fishery: For Vessel Owners & Operators’ to strengthen by-catch mitigation efforts within Fiji’s offshore fisheries sector by ensuring skippers and crew have a visual aid onboard for ease of reference to ensure by-catch of sharks and other species are appropriately released.
The supply of the by-catch mitigation toolkits is being supported by the By-catch and Integrated Ecosystem Management (BIEM) Initiative implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) under the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) programme funded by the European Union and the Government of Sweden, and by the New Zealand government through the Developing Sustainable and Responsible Tuna Longline Fisheries in Fiji project that is a project partnership between the Fiji Fishing Industry Association, Ministry of Fisheries Fiji, Fiji Maritime Academy and WWF.