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Our organizations appreciate the opportunity to express our views regarding proposals from the European Union (EU), Australia, and the Maldives for Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) measures for sharks.
We share concern over the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group findings that roughly half of Indian Ocean pelagic shark and ray species are classified as Threatened on the IUCN Red List, as well as alarm over the failure of most IOTC Members and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties (CPCs) to submit complete, accurate, and timely shark catch records. We appreciate the ongoing commitment by Australia and the EU to secure precautionary, effective management measures to reverse the decline of Indian Ocean shark populations. In particular, we generally support these Parties’ efforts to protect exceptionally vulnerable species, improve regional shark catch data, and/or effectively implement the IOTC ban on shark finning (slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea).
