The best news arrives unexpectedly:
Following the failure of the ICCAT last year, Teresa Ribera, Spain's Minister for the Ecological Transition, established concrete measures in early February. From 2021, no shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) may be landed by Spanish fleets. The specimens, predominantly caught as bycatch on the hooks of longline trawlers, must be released back into the sea. Mako shark fins from 2020 still held in storage by Spanish exporters may no longer be exported.
Portugal has now followed suit, joining this long-overdue initiative with similar measures: Portugal will also ban shortfin mako shark fishing in the future.
Experienced marine conservationists are viewing these decisions with astonishment. ElasmOcean has reported on this dynamic multiple times. Ultimately, Spanish and Portuguese fishing fleets have historically been responsible for by far the largest share of mako shark catches in the Atlantic. Now, a politically mandated 180-degree turnaround has been enacted, which may arrive just in time for the mako shark, although prospects remain bleak. Atlantic populations are so severely threatened that recovery by 2045 is only 53% likely, even under a zero-catch quota. In this context, a "zero-catch quota" signifies a complete retention ban for all nations bordering the Atlantic...
It remains to be hoped that this ambitious initiative by the Iberian Peninsula will prompt fishing nations such as the USA, Canada, and Morocco to take action.
We commend Spain and Portugal, and foremost Teresa Ribera, on this significant step towards protecting the shortfin mako shark, and consequently, protecting our oceans.
