CITING a decline in the population of the oceanic whitetip shark, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service or NMFS is proposing to ban the commercial and recreational fishing of the species.
According to a scientific analysis commissioned by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, the oceanic whitetip shark population has declined by around 95% which might lead to its extinction.
The NMFS’s new rule prohibits “the commercial and recreational retention of oceanic whitetip sharks in U.S. waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, and all hammerhead sharks in the large coastal shark complex such as the great, smooth, and scalloped hammerhead sharks in the U.S. Caribbean region.”
During a recent meeting at Crowne Plaza Saipan, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council distributed copies of the Endangered Species Act Draft Recovery Plan of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the oceanic whitetip shark.
The draft recovery plan states that although the oceanic whitetip shark is a globally distributed shark species and is highly migratory, it has low-moderate productivity and relatively low reproductive rates.
The NOAA said its recovery strategies aim to reduce the frequency of fishing interactions and increase survivorship before, during and after interactions with fishing gear occur.
Since the oceanic whitetip shark’s existence is not within U.S. jurisdiction, the NOAA also sees the need to cooperate with regional fisheries management organizations and international partners.
