Overfishing, illegal fishing and increasing marketing of shark meat pose significant threats to the more than 80 species of sharks and rays that inhabit the Mediterranean Sea, according to a new study.
The research examined current levels of legislation in place to protect elasmobranch populations (which include sharks, rays and skates) within each of the 22 coastal states of the Mediterranean region.
Across those countries - stretching from Spain and Morocco in the west to Israel, Lebanon and Syria in the east - the researchers identified more than 200 measures that concern elasmobranchs in some way, ranging from national legislation to implemented conservation efforts by various non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
European Union countries generally led the implementation of more measures than non-EU ones, with Spain having the highest number of measures in place. Governments were responsible for leading 63% of measures, mainly relating to legal requirements.
However, while elasmobranchs have made it onto many policy agendas, the study found considerable differences in how effectively any legislation was being monitored with no single source for tracking progress in the conservation and management of sharks at national levels.
Experts and NGOs across the region also highlighted that sharks are increasingly being landed intentionally and unintentionally by fishers, often to meet the demand for shark products.
However, there is often little control in place where sharks are landed, leading researchers to call for increased monitoring to protect threatened species, in addition to more public education and incentives for fishers to use equipment that is less threatening to shark species.
The research, published in the journal Biological Conservation, represents the first region-wide assessment of actions being taken to protect shark populations through international law.
It was led by
Dr Lydia Koehler and
Mr Jason Lowther, both experts in environmental law from the
School of Society and Culture at the University of Plymouth.
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