Abstract
AbstractThe U.S. Congress is currently discussing the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act to eliminate shark fin trade at the federal level. This bill was introduced in 2017 and has been proceeding very slowly in Congress because of mixed reviews from the scientific community. Debate exists on whether shark conservation and management are effectively addressed with tightened trade controls for imported shark products or blanket bans that outright end U.S. participation in the shark fin trade. Here we contribute to this debate with a review and analysis of economic, nutritional, ethical, and legal arguments, as well as of the shark fisheries status and shark fin trade. We show that the United States has a limited commercial interest in shark fisheries and contributes to the shark fin trade mainly as a facilitator. A fin trade ban has few tangible economic drawbacks but would have a considerable conservation impact. While making all shark fisheries sustainable is the ultimate goal, in practice this objective is far from achievable everywhere in the world. Conversely, banning shark fin trade is an interim measure that nations like the United States can take with negligible cost and can truly impact the biggest driver of shark exploitation globally.
Highlights
Shark conservation is one of the most pressing global biodiversity issues
We show that fin trade bans are practical interim cost-effective policies that developed nations can adopt to stop the greatest driver of global shark mortality
Economic, nutritional, ethical, and legal aspects of shark fisheries and fin trade suggest that a ban on shark fin sale is an effective practical step to address the continued global decline of shark populations
Summary
Shark conservation is one of the most pressing global biodiversity issues. Many shark populations are declining worldwide because of fishing (Worm et al, 2013). U.S Congress in 2017 considered a ban of the sale and possession of shark fins in order to extricate the United States from the fin trade (the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act, S.793). Scientists received this move with mixed reviews. Reinforce the role of the United States as a leader in shark conservation (Supporting Information) Others maintain this law will undermine sustainable shark fishing, have little effect on global shark conservation, and potentially divert attention from other drivers of global shark population declines (Shiffman & Hueter, 2017). We show that fin trade bans are practical interim cost-effective policies that developed nations can adopt to stop the greatest driver of global shark mortality
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have