Time to save sharks as 70 million are hunted every year

Regional and international cooperation is the only way to save sharks, whose numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate around the world, said Dr Akram Issa Darwish, Director of Programs, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

“It (protecting sharks) is our responsibility,” said Dr Darwish, the main instructor at the two-day workshop on ‘Combating illegal trade of sharks’, which began in Muscat on Monday.

The workshop was held under the auspices of Najeeb bin Ali al Rawas, Under-secretary, Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MOECA). It was attended by officials and experts from both local and international organisations.

“To protect them, seven species of sharks and manta were included in Annex II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 2013.

“In 2016 conference, members agreed to grant sharks protection through the regulation of fishing and international trade, which was an extraordinary precedent,” said Dr Darwish.

He said many species of sharks are migratory fish, making their conservation a matter of international cooperation to protect them from extinction along their migratory routes.

“So far, CITES has included 28 species of sharks and manta as migratory species that require protection,” he added.