Problem
Overfishing of sharks
Experimental visualization of narrower problems
Other Names:
Finning sharks Nature:
Even with tougher fishing quotas it will take years to restore shark stocks. One reason is the lack of an international treaty on shark fishing, similar to the global accords that limit commercial catches of blue-fin tuna. Another factor is biological. Sharks are slow to reproduce, having long gestation periods and small litters.
Incidence:
Sharks have been fished commercially in the USA waters only since the 1970s. That caused stocks to plummet by as much as 80 percent for some Atlantic species. In 1997, 22 species of coastal sharks were classified as overfished or fully fished, meaning no additional increases in fishing could be tolerated without endangering the health of the population.
In Costa Rica, a company that marketed crushed shark cartilage to western pharmaceutical firms as a cancer remedy saw its monthly production soar from 1,400 to 10,000 kilograms in 1997.
Broader Problems:
Unsustainable exploitation of fish resources Narrower Problems:
Threatened species of AlopiidaeThreatened species of AlopiidaeThreatened species of SquatinidaeThreatened species of HexanchidaeThreatened species of CetorhinidaeThreatened species of OrectolobidaeThreatened species of ScyliorhinidaeThreatened species of HeterodontidaeThreatened species of CarcharhinidaeThreatened species of EchinorhinidaeThreatened species of RhincodontidaeThreatened species of OdontaspididaeThreatened species of PristiophoridaeThreatened species of PristiophoridaeThreatened species of Chlamydoselachidae Aggravates:
Threatened species of Elasmobranchii Organizations:
Shark Advocates International (SAI)Shark AllianceShark TrustSharkhunters InternationalSHARKPROJECT International Subject(s):
Agriculture, Fisheries → FisheriesFish, Reptiles → Fish
Societal Problems → Endangered species
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
G: Very specific problems Date of last update
04.10.2020 – 22:48 CEST