THE SHARK TRUST
What is this conservation group up to, and is it anti-angling?
Is this group a friend or foe?
Like most of you reading this I was aware of the existence of the Shark Trust, but other than it being an organisation dedicated to the conservation of sharks, I didn’t know much else about the specifics of what it does. I was under the impression it was vehemently anti-angling and thought I had a fairly clear idea about what I would write when I was driving south on the M5 – my destination Plymouth in Devon – scheduled for a meeting with Ali Hood, its director of conservation.
The Shark Trust was established in 1997 on the corner of a desk in Newbury, Berkshire, before moving three years later to new premises outside the newly built National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, Devon. It is still based in Plymouth, in offices holding a current team of eight.
From such humble beginnings, today the Shark Trust works at an international level to safeguard the future of sharks and their close relatives, the skates, rays and chimaera, the latter being cartilaginous fish known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish or rabbit fish.
In 2006 the Shark Trust became a founding member of the Shark Alliance, a coalition of European partners advocating the adoption of a European Community Plan of Action for Sharks, and the closure of loopholes in the EU Finning Regulations. This led to the strengthened European Finning Ban, clearly a huge win for shark conservation.
The Shark Trust has always worked with the UK Government, along with an evergrowing network of partners, with the result that the UK is internationally recognised as a champion of shark conservation. Today the Shark Trust represents a membership base of around 1,200 from around the world, along with 30,000 followers on Twitter.
Dave Lewis: What exactly does the Shark Trust do?
Ali Hood: We are a science-based organisation; science is at the foundation of everything we do. We commit our resources to the effective conservation of sharks. Through the highs and lows we persevere. This sheer dedication is key to our past and future successes; we’re in this for the long haul.
We’re guided by scientific evidence and the principles of sustainability. We value our integrity and credibility, and as a respected authority on sharks, we’re able to have influence in many key decisionmaking processes. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, it is key to creating positive change for sharks and having a far reaching impact.
DL: What are its aims?
AH: As our website states, highlighting the problems faced by sharks is the easy bit, and the challenge is to take problems and find real-world solutions. Shark conservation is a global problem and needs global solutions. We need to change our understanding and appreciation of sharks, and we need to change how we manage and protect populations on a global scale.
At the Shark Trust we believe that the best way to safeguard the future of sharks is through a solutions-based approach that promotes positive change.
DL How will this be done?
AH: All our projects, campaigns and policy actions aim to drive progress towards three key goals. The first of these is protection of endangered species, through legislation and effective conservation action. Our Saving Species projects place science at the heart of conservation action. We’re striving to transform fisheries to prevent population decline through over-fishing. We want fisheries to be managed for sustainability to prevent declines in non-threatened species. Thirdly, we seek to promote responsible trade along with a reduced demand for non-sustainable shark products.
Our conservation goals set the agenda for our work. We pursue these goals through projects and campaigns that bring together different players.
DL: Is the Shark Trust anti-angling?
AH: No, we are not anti-angling. We have always supported best practice within the angling community and recognise that many anglers are very conservation-minded. We do, however, remain concerned by the
behaviour of those who knowingly target threatened species. A lot of anglers assist our research, by tagging different species, for example, and anglers are great at keeping accurate records of fish they have caught, often going back many years, which is invaluable to our shark conservation. DL: On a lighter note, I am intrigued with the current trend of labelling dogfish as cat sharks. It sounds like another trendy media tag, the same as the ‘sea’ that was annoyingly added to bass to become sea bass a few years ago. Can you explain?
AH: Actually, there is a very distinct biological difference between the various species that comprise the cat sharks and dogfish.
Dogfish include species such as spurdogs that give birth to live young, whereas the cat sharks, including the small spotted and bull huss, lay egg cases. DL: So there you have it, dogfish are cat sharks and spurdogs are dogfish!
FISH WELFARE
The Shark Trust is very keen to promote the correct handling of different shark species following capture.
What this means is that it is best if the fish is not boated, being more preferable to release it as soon as possible without the fish having been taken out of the water. Barbless hooks clearly facilitate this.
When dealing with larger sharks, they should not be boated if this requires the fish to be hauled over the gunnel of a boat, or it is not fitted with a transom or side-access door.
To this end, the Shark Trust has published a poster, (shown right and published several times in Sea Angler and on its Facebook page) clearly illustrating the correct ways to handle different species of sharks and rays in order to minimise any risk of damaging the delicate internal organs of the fish.