Scientific advice in the EU to ensure the sustainability of populations of sharks in oceanic waters

The original news release is in Basque, this is a Google translation,  Scientific advice in the EU to ensure the sustainability of populations of sharks in oceanic waters

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A committee led by AZTI-Tecnalia will provide scientific advice to policy makers in the European Union fishing, shark fishing is sustainable.

Researchers in the Basque technological center, in addition to the advisory group are: the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (EOI) scientists, the French Research Institute of Operation Sea (IFREMER), the French Research Institute for Development (IRD) and the Fisheries and Marine Research Institute of Portugal (ujob). Within the European Community action plan to protect sharks in the work of the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries financing and has a duration of 15 months.

The Sharks are caught in fishing nets, and fishing as well as for other types of fish to catch fish in different fishing grounds. Shark fishing in the oceans has increased significantly in recent years, and, therefore, it is necessary to know their status. To this end, the European Commission called CPOA-Shark Action Plan was established in 2009. The main objective of the Plan is to contribute to the European Union fishing fleet to sustainable shark fisheries, as well as the waters of the community, and internationally. The project will examine specifically to catch tuna fishing activities that have the effect of shark populations, taking into account all types of activities, such as the fishing industry, the coastal fishing craft. With this intention, the world's largest tuna fleets in the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian and the Pacific catches of shark species found. Capturing regional fisheries management organization (CCAA) are managed atunketariek (ICCAT in the Atlantic, Indian and IATTCk IOTC and WCPFCk Eastern and Western Pacific, respectively).

Atlantic, Indian and Pacific populations of sharks at sea level is not suitable for scientific knowledge. So, the plan is to get specialized technical advice on fishing sharks and shark species, their role in the marine ecosystem knowledge. AZTI-Tecnalia specialists and consultants from other schools involved in the fishing industry in a balanced way that will help the animals.

AZTI-Tecnalia is leading this project, "Information has been received from the three largest tuna fleet fishing in ocean-caught shark species, effort, size-distribution of fish, about the biology and ecology. The idea of ??the fishing grounds, the missing data is to identify and respond to the priorities, the evaluation of these populations to ensure sustainable management, "says Hilario Murua, AZTI-Tecnalia biologist and" European Community Action Plan for the protection of Sharks "on the scientific advisory committee is responsible for same. "In the second phase, these vulnerable populations to ensure the sustainability of fishing grounds to propose a framework for investigation and follow-up."
Capture a significant increase in

Shark-fishing industry in the world has increased significantly: in 1980, 600,000 tonnes were caught in 2003 and was caught up by 900,000 tonnes. It was a historical peak in 2007, fell to approximately 800,000, and in 2008, 750,000. This trend is due to increase in demand for shark products, mainly to the edges, but the meat, skin and cartilage as well, especially in the Asian markets.

Small coastal sharks caught by European fleets have traditionally, and the scientific community has sufficient information on these fisheries. However, in recent years has increased exploitation of deep sea sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific and the Indian, and receive detailed information on this is not so. This further adds to this problem: too many sharks are caught atunketariek countries, particularly in Asia, the fishing fleet, which operates in the oceans. The history of these ships have been caught in tuna and swordfish, and sharks are caught more oceanic.

Sharks are particularly vulnerable to over-fishing, mainly because of low reproductive capacity. Therefore, excessive fishing and other human impacts on the species of small capacity.