Time is Running Out for Makos
Ask the U.S. and EU to make time for mako sharks
For those of you that follow Project AWARE®, you probably know about our continued fight to prevent the extinction of Atlantic shortfin mako sharks. These majestic apex predators are the fastest sharks in the ocean, yet they are unable to outrun the rampant overfishing that is decimating their population in the Atlantic.
The fate these creatures face in the Atlantic is stark. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), re-classified shortfin mako sharks from Vulnerable to globally Endangered, which means that they face a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Mako shark fishing is most severe in the North Atlantic, with fisheries scientists warning that even a reduction of catches to zero will only give makos a 50:50 chance of rebuilding by 2050.
Countries that fish in the North Atlantic are being urged to follow the scientific advice, and to reduce catches to zero, but they are being blocked by the US and the EU, whose fleets catch the vast majority of makos. Spain in particular is responsible for nearly half of all the catches.
The US is being supported by the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao, who have very negligible catches and are a prime diving location. Recently, some partial measures have been taken, including listing makos onto a trade controls list known as CITES, but this does not protect them from fishing, and just brings in some limited restrictions on international trade, ironically championed by the EU, who still refuse to accept zero catches.
Now we need the might of the dive community to let the people who make these decisions know that they are not acting on behalf of the public that they are meant to represent. We need EU and US citizens to reach out to public officials to get them to change their positions. The European Commissioner for Fisheries and the US Department of Commerce have the power to alter their respective positions, and we need to get them to act fast, before it’s too late for the mako shark.
Voice your support on Twitter
For US citizens, a tweet to the US Commerce Secretary @WilburRoss will show the support for a ban on mako catches
- Click HERE to tweet or use the message, hashtags and handles below to tweet your own message.
Dive businesses depend on a healthy ocean to generate great economic benefits. By opposing urgent scientific advice to protect North Atl. mako sharks, the U.S. puts the population, ecosystem & dive industry at risk. @WilburRoss Please support a ban on mako catches #ICCAT2020
For citizens of EU Member States we need to let Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius that EU actions (or in this case inaction) are not acceptable.
- Click HERE to tweet or use the message, hashtags and handles below to tweet your own message.
Dive businesses depend on a healthy ocean to generate great economic benefits. By opposing urgent scientific advice @EU_Mare and EU fishing fleet put the North Atl. Mako population, ecosystem & dive industry at risk. @VSinkevicius please support a ban on mako catches #ICCAT2020
Send a Letter to U.S. Secretary Ross or EU Commissioner Sinkevičius
If you wanted to take further action, download and mail our pre-drafted letter to either Secretary Ross or Commissioner Sinkevičius which highlights the issue and the contribution of the dive industry to global economies.
Simple actions CAN make a difference.
We make urging support for science-based #ICCAT catch limits for makos easy with #ClickToTweet:
— Project AWARE (@projectaware) October 6, 2020
➡️ ?? Citizens click this link: https://t.co/3URRY3Efro
➡️ ?? Citizens click this link: https://t.co/2uP1IjEuv9
Demand support for a complete retention ban as scientists advise ? pic.twitter.com/IYO6ozrSpH
