Whale
Shark Wins International
Protection
Nations Vote To Protect World's
Largest Fish
Photo:
Victor Wu
Parties
to the Convention on Interna
tional Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) extended the first-ever international protection
to a shark species by voting today to protect the whale
shark under Appendix II. The listing, which was proposed
by the Philippines and India, gives critical support
to whale shark conservation by regulating trade in whale
shark parts. Whale sharks are primarily threatened by
overfishing to supply international trade.
"CITES protection is a major step forward
for whale shark conservation," said Elizabeth
Murdock, Manager of WildAid's Shark Conservation Program.
"International protection is critical to
the conservation of this rare and highly migratory species.
CITES can now do its much-needed part by regulating
international trade and ensuring that trade does not
threaten the whale shark's survival."
The whale shark is the largest fish on Earth, reaching
up to 20 meters in length and weighing up to 34 tons.
It feeds by filtering plankton and other small organisms
through its gills, making it one of only three known
species of large, filter-feeding sharks. Whale sharks
are long-lived (60 to 100 years), slow to mature (at
30 years) and reproduce.
Whale shark meat has recently emerged as a delicacy
in Taiwan the world's largest market for the meat. Annual
sales more than doubled in just two years from 1998
to 2000, while demand for shark fin soup in Asia has
also increased pressure on whale sharks: Their huge
fins, which retail for thousands of dollars each, are
sold for soup and displayed in restaurants in Singapore,
China and Taiwan.
While demand has been increasing in Taiwan, reported
whale shark catches there have declined by 60-70% in
the past few years, leading to unsustainable whale shark
fishing in other areas and transforming small, subsistence-level
fisheries into large-scale efforts supplying international
trade. In the Philippines and India, catches fell dramatically
due to overfishing before whale sharks were protected
in these countries. But recent confiscations of illegal
shipments of the meat, bound for Taiwan and Hong Kong,
indicate that poaching remains a threat to this gentle
giant.
The resolution to include whale sharks under Appendix
II passed with 81 votes, achieving the necessary two-thirds
majority by two votes. The basking shark, the second
largest living fish, was also approved for Appendix
II today, with 82 supporting votes.
"This listing is a tremendous victory,"
said Victor Wu, Shark Campaigner for WildAid. "The
Parties sent a clear message to the world today that
whale sharks are far more valuable alive than dead-and
that their future depends upon our actions today."
Whale shark tourism brings millions of dollars annually
to areas such as Thailand (US$3 million; Phuket only),
Belize (US$1.45 million) and Australia (US$6.99 million),
all of which have protected the fish in local waters.
These annual revenues generate far more than a one-time
catch of the scarce fish.
WildAid is a leading non-profit organization dedicated
to eliminating illegal trade in threatened wildlife
and protecting wildlife habitat through effective and
sustainable solutions on a local and global scale. Headquartered
in San Francisco, WildAid has offices in Washington
D.C., London, Vladivostok, Bangkok, Phnom Penh and the
Galapagos Islands.
Photo:
Rebecca Chen
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The IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals classifies whale
sharks as "Vulnerable." But despite
clear declines in some populations, there is no international
protection for the species.
- Whale sharks inhabit warm, tropical waters throughout
the world, excluding the Mediterranean Sea. They migrate
thousands of kilometers across open ocean before returning
to their home waters to feed.
- Whale sharks are slow to mature and reproduce. They
may not reach maturity until up to 30 years of age and
may live as long as 60 to 100 years, making them extremely
vulnerable to human exploitation.
- Documented whale shark catches in Taiwan have declined
by 30-90% from the 1960s to the 1980s, by 50-80% from
the mid-1980s to 1990s and by 60-70% since 1996. Whale
shark catches have decreased from an estimated 272 each
year in the mid-1990s to fewer than 100 reported catches
in 2001.
- In the Philippines, catches declined by 27% each year
during the mid-1990s until the Philippines legally protected
the whale shark in 1998. Despite protection, whale sharks
continue to be caught illegally in the Philippines to
supply Taiwanese and Hong Kong markets.
- In India, a formerly small-scale fishery landed 279
whale sharks during the 1999 season. Catches fell to just
160 sharks during the 2000 season, despite continuing
high market demand and a possible increase in fishing
effort.
- Confiscations of illegally exported whale shark meat
from the Philippines include: 64 falsely labeled boxes,
confiscated by Customs authorities in Taiwan (January
1998); 812 kg, bound for Taiwan, confiscated by Philippine
authorities (December 1998); one ton, bound for Taiwan,
confiscated by Philippine authorities (April 1999); 1,992
kg, bound for Hong Kong, confiscated in the Philippines
(January 2000). A 2002 report by TRAFFIC East Asia indicates
that whale shark meat is likely smuggled into Taiwan from
Mainland China.
- Whale shark populations are even declining in areas
where the species is not fished-suggesting that fishing
can affect populations of these migratory animals worldwide.
Researchers and divers report reduced numbers in Thailand,
South Africa and the Maldives.
- Whale sharks are protected domestically in Australia,
Belize, Honduras, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines,
Thailand and the U.S.
- WildAid is calling for support for proposals from India
and the Philippines to list the whale shark under CITES
Appendix II, which will regulate trade by requiring U.N.
member states to issue permits and determine that national
trade does not threaten local populations of the fish.
WildAid's is also working to improve national protections
for whale sharks and reduce consumption of whale shark
products.
- Sharks worldwide now face unprecedented pressure, due
in large part to skyrocketing demand for their fins for
shark fin soup. In an effort to feed demand and maximize
profits, fishing operations often "fin" sharks
at sea and dump their bodies overboard-a practice which
is wasteful and highly unsustainable.
Photo:
Victor Wu
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WildAid’s
Position
on Mercury,
Tourism & Extinction
Photo:
Rebecca Chen
WildAid
maintain's its position that :
· Eating shark may be dangerous to human health
· On-going hunting of sharks can hurt tourism in
Thailand
· Hunting of sharks for trade in fins is causing
shark populations to decline
· Shark fin contains very little nutrition for
people
Mercury
& Sharks
1. Eating fish with high levels of mercury is harmful
to human health, this is an internationally accepted fact.
Please see, for example, public warnings being issued
NOW in the United States of America about mercury in fish,
which lists shark as the first species to be concerned
about. This warning is issued by the USA's Food and Drug
Administration and is directed at all consumers, especially
pregnant women and women who consider becoming pregnant
in the future. It reads:
"You can protect your unborn child by not eating
these large fish that can contain high levels of methyl
mercury: sharks, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish"
WildAid did not try to single out Thailand as the only
country with the problem of mercury in sharks, this problem
has been detected in other parts of the world, which is
why we conducted tests here in Thailand to compare, then
we released the results.
2. Most Mercury in shark cannot be cleaned or boiled out
as shark fin traders and one Thai official claim. The
USA FDA warning states further that:
"Methyl mercury binds tightly to the proteins
in fish tissue, including muscle. Cooking probably does
not apprecieably reduce the methyl mercury content of
the fish."
3. If a shark has low levels of methyl mercury in it,
a man (or a woman who is sure she does not want to have
a baby) may be able to eat up to one serving per week,
however since one does not know if the shark you are eating
is high or low in mercury, it is advisable not to eat
it at all.
It is far from true, as one person recently suggested,
that one can feel safe “eating even 5,000 bowls
of shark fin soup”.
Sharks
& Tourism
Thailand's diving industry brings in a significant amount
of money for the country’s economy. One local organization
estimates that one living whale shark brings in about
200 million baht a year from divers in search of this
magnificent creature in Thai waters. This money is spread
around from hotels to restaurants to boat operators to
airlines, etc. Tourists who eat shark fin soup as part
of their ‘Thai experience’ are not coming primarily to
eat shark fin soup, and the amount of money they spend
it and the way this money is distributed does not compare
with diving proceeds for the Thai community.
Shark
Slaughter & Population Decline
Research conducted around the world, not only by WildAid
but also by the United Nations and several governments
indicate that shark populations are under threat, due
largely to an increase in the trade of shark fins for
soup. Statistics from the Hong Kong Trade Development
Board and the UNFAO indicate that even several years ago
an estimated 8,000 metric tons of shark fins were traded
globally, accounting for a steep increase in shark kills.
A decline in shark numbers disrupts the marine ecosystem
because it takes away the top predator in the food chain.
Shark
Fin Nutririon
WildAid reported that shark fin soup does not provide
extra strength or nutrition as is widely believed. Even
the Thai Ministry of Public Health recently stated on
Thai TV that:
"There is no scientific study supporting the
idea that shark fin consumption can help boost energy
much more than any other type of fish"
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