Two local fishermen got their comeuppance when they were arrested on April 8th for having on board their fishing boat a total of 2,073 shark fins. Government officials said that the catch represented as many as 529 sharks (which included 11 whole sharks they had on board).
The fishermen had the fins stored in a hidden compartment in the bow of the ship, which means they were aware that their catch was illegal. The limit for sharks in the waters they were apparently fishing in is 33. So, they were off by only a mere 496 sharks.
Hung Anh Tiet and Rick Nguyen, both from Texas, face fines totaling more than $26,000 and potentially 2 months in jail. Seems they're getting off pretty light compared to the sharks.
The interesting facet to all this is where this took place. Far away in the South Pacific, perhaps? Or maybe in the Mediterranean or Northeastern Atlantic? Try Louisiana. Right smack dab in U.S. waters, in an area that has been both trying to recover from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and wrestling with overfishing concerns of other Gulf fish species.
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement reported that law enforcement officials board the vessel Lady Lyanna in the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Venice, Louisiana. In a wildlife refuge no less.
Just two local fishermen. 529 sharks. Now imagine what could be carried out by a large commercial fleet. Can't blame the sharks for biting back every once in a while. . . while they still can.
Source: MailOnline
Source: Lone Star Outdoor News
Making the rounds of many of the news outlets today is some good news offered by the European Union. Earlier this month, meeting in Brussels, the European Commission, siding with the opinions of 27 member nation fishery ministers, proposed amending EU regulations on shark fishing by recommending a total ban on shark finning both within EU waters and by all EU-registered vessels worldwide. Today, the Council of the European Union gave its approval of the measure.
While EU regulations have already prohibited shark finning, the actual execution was riddled with loopholes and special permits, all originally intended to promote commercial shark fishing management. However, monitoring and enforcement was difficult to attain and so, ultimately, a complete ban was deemed best.
As good as this all sounds, in reality it is an incremental step. Properly permitted vessels will still be able to take sharks, but they will be required to land them whole - fins attached. This is a disadvantage to the boat operators as whole shark carcasses will fill up a boat's hold with low value meat compared to the more highly prized shark fin. It could very well prove to be enough of an inducement for many boats to move out of the shark fin business altogether, finding it no longer economically worthwhile.
The proposed ban represents both a move by the EU to better monitor the shark fishing industry and to put the squeeze on what is viewed as an industry that would eventually collapse due to declining shark populations. While Asia is often criticized for its growing market demand for shark fin, it is the EU that happens to be the largest exporter of shark fins worldwide. As an example, according to some reports, the hammerhead shark has all but become extinct in the Mediterranean.
The EU fishery ministers are also seeking support for a measure that would ban the practice of discarding fish that do not meet qualifications or are commercially undesirable. What they are proposing is a major assault on bycatch. In essence, if you caught it, you keep it. And it could ultimately 
force fishing vessels to either utilize any and all approaches that would minimize bycatch (better fishing techniques, nets or hooks) or seek markets for catches that may not be as profitable. As reported by the Associated Press, the European Commission says that up to half of the whitefish and 70 percent of the flatfish caught by fisheries is discarded.
This proposal faces some stiff resistance from several member nations, particularly France and Spain, so time will tell as to whether it succeeds, But for now, the shark fin ban seems to be on track. The proposal awaits a first reading in the European Parliament before being formalized into law.
A positive step in a comprehensive, but complicated, strategy for shark conservation - addressing the dealers of shark fin products by simplifying shark fishery management policy and, in so doing, indirectly hitting them where it hurts most: the bottom line.
Source: Boston News
Source: Courthouse News Service
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement reported that law enforcement officials board the vessel Lady Lyanna in the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Venice, Louisiana. In a wildlife refuge no less.
