Duskie’s fate in fed hands: struggling sharks in need of serious help

The more we learn about sharks, the more we realize how critical they are to ocean health. Each of the more than 450 shark species worldwide plays a special role in its ecosystem. Divers seeking a glimpse of these fish contribute to coastal economies, while stunning documentary footage brings these beautiful creatures onto screens and into living rooms across the world. But even as public perceptions of sharks shift away from “ocean monster” and towards “ocean icon,” we are losing the race to protect these important animals. 

Many shark species face some risk of extinction, and losing any of them would be a blow to marine biodiversity and ocean health. In the U.S., one shark species in particular is poised at the brink of either recovery or irreversible decline: the dusky shark. Dusky populations have faced extreme hardships in recent decades, and the federal government has known for more than 15 years that these sharks are in need of serious help. Unfortunately, effective relief for these fish has yet to materialize.

{mosads}In 2000, in response to dwindling numbers of dusky sharks, the federal government decided to ban the intentional targeting of this species by fishermen. Yet since the prohibition, tens of thousands of dusky sharks have continued to be accidently caught and killed—a process known as bycatch—by fisheries targeting other types of fish such as snapper, grouper and swordfish. 

Further assessments in 2006, 2011 and yet another this year, have all demonstrated that little is changing for dusky sharks. These fish are currently being caught at nearly three times the rate necessary to begin rebuilding their stocks. Estimates suggest the dusky population will need between 70 and 180 years to rebuild, and that’s only if effective regulations are finally established.

How has this happened, especially given that federal fisheries law requires the government to establish a plan to rebuild species that have been classified as “overfished?”

The federal government has repeatedly failed to take meaningful action to control the capture and killing of dusky sharks. While direct fishing for duskies has been prohibited, bycatch continues to kill these sharks in a wide range of fisheries. So far, the government has been focusing its effort on reducing bycatch of duskies in fisheries of highly migratory species, like the longline fisheries for swordfish and tuna. Unfortunately, this attention is misdirected, as these fisheries are not responsible for the majority of the dusky bycatch.

Today, the more serious threats to dusky sharks are the hooks and lines of the snapper/grouper fishery in the South Atlantic, and the reef fish fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. But dusky bycatch in these fisheries has been ignored by the federal government. Fortunately, the government has a chance to right this wrong. This week, the government is scheduled to issue a proposed rule to end overfishing of dusky sharks and to rebuild this stock.

The evidence is clear about what should be required: hard byctach caps in the fisheries where dusky sharks are most vulnerable. Bycatch limits would provide an incentive for fisheries to avoid catching dusky sharks and would act as a backstop to shut down fishing activity as soon as a scientifically-based cap is reached. Essentially a budget for the sharks, a bycatch cap would count, limit and account for all of the sharks that are being caught. Dusky sharks cannot afford more of the same: additional regulatory burdens on tuna and swordfish fisheries, while no bycatch caps are set in the most dangerous fisheries for duskies. 

The law is clear: when we know that a fish stock is overfished, we must take evidence-based measures to rebuild that stock and ensure that all catches are accounted for. The federal government needs to include bycatch caps for all of the fisheries in which dusky sharks are being killed. Accountability is required by the law, and fully-accountable management may be the last chance these beautiful fish have for a future.

Lora Snyder is campaign director at Oceana.