When you are facing population declines of 90% or more, it’s so far beyond “regional” managements. Besides, what idiot thinks that sharks, fish or whales stay in the regions laid out in such meetings? At least one out of the seven managed to win support but this is yet another marine disaster.
Scalloped hammerhead sharks, which are often caught in lines set for tuna and swordfish, have declined by as much as 98 percent in some areas. Oceanic whitetip sharks have declined by as much as 90 percent in the central Pacific Ocean and 99 percent in the Gulf of Mexico.Tom Strickland, the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, said the United States may bring up some of the shark proposals on Thursday, the conference’s final day, when any conference decision can be reconsidered.
Strickland noted that the proposal to regulate the trade of hammerhead sharks failed by just five votes, providing an opening for another attempt to pass it.
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