Seychelles National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of sharks

SEYCHELLES NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF SHARKS - 2007

1. Introduction
Sharks1 comprise some 1000 species worldwide [1]. Estimates on the
global annual harvest of shark vary considerably from between 700,000 to
1.5 million tonnes and the only real consensus is that data on the fishery
are chronically lacking [2,3]. The Food and Agricultural Organisation
(FAO) statistics in 2003 stated that chondrichthyans accounted for 0.65%
of total world catches and 0.85% of total world captures, translating to a
catch of 789,900 tonnes [4]. Catches have grown considerably from
271,800 tonnes in 1950, fuelled by the expansion of long-line fisheries,
the escalating commodity value of shark fin and through overall increases
in global fish production.
Sharks are prone to over-exploitation and population collapse due to their
life history characteristics [5]. Previous examples of shark stock collapse,
due to targeted fisheries [6,7], have recently been supplemented by
studies showing rapid decline in shark populations across large oceanic
regions as a result of by-catch in multi-species fisheries [8-12].
2. Shark populations: cause for concern
Sharks, typified as they are, by slow growth, late maturation, low
fecundity and long reproductive cycles, are amongst the least resilient of
fish species to intense exploitation [1,5,13]. There are various published
examples of collapse in shark fisheries including extirpation and potential
extinction [6,7,14].

Sechelles Seychelles National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of sharks