I am an avid diver who has had the privilege of observing sharks up close in their natural environment.

These wonderful animals are crucial to the balance of the marine ecosystem. It is a tragic fact that some species of sharks are threatened with extinction, including in Europe. In addition to commercial fishing, amateur anglers who specialize in shark fishing are also contributing to this threat. In our waters, the main species caught by anglers are

• blue sharks, the most fished shark in the oceans, which is classified as near threatened by the IUCN,
• shortfin mako sharks, the fastest shark in the world, which is currently endangered (IUCN) and
• porbeagle sharks, also endangered (IUCN).

In Europe, this sport is enjoying increasing popularity, including among tourists, to whom fishing trips are often sold as ecotourism.

Many amateur fishermen practice what is known as 'catch and release'.

According to the anglers, the sharks are merely displayed for photos and then returned to the sea unharmed.

It is wrongly assumed that the sharks are not harmed by this.

In fact, it is assumed that quite a few sharks, and other fish, die after being released simply from the stress of the fishing process. This can also cause miscarriages in pregnant specimens. No wonder, since the shark usually has to spend minutes on board of the fishing boat. This is tantamount to slow suffocation, since sharks have to swim through water to absorb oxygen through their gills.

Let's not kid ourselves, this practice is just an adrenaline rush and a stroke of the angler's ego. It has nothing to do with sustainability!

There are so many sustainable and more lucrative alternatives in the tourism sector, such as shark diving and shark watching. The Azores, for example, show that this can work.

Unfortunately, in Europe it is completely legal to torture or even kill (endangered!) sharks for one's own amusement. It is absolutely necessary that we speak out against this practice here in Europe!

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, around a quarter of all shark and ray species are threatened with extinction. One of the main causes of this is overfishing, including by amateur anglers. It is becoming increasingly difficult for these animals to survive, and the entire marine ecosystem is becoming unbalanced. It is time to act and secure the future existence of these majestic sea creatures.

We demand that recreational fishing (including catch and release) for sharks and the advertising of this practice, including for tourism purposes, be banned! Sign this petition to get our message across to the relevant authorities. It's time to stand up for shark protection and stop recreational fishing for them.

Thank you! 

 

List of sources: 

• Gallagher, A. J., & Hammerschlag, N. (2011). Global shark currency: the distribution, frequency, and economic value of shark ecotourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 14(8), 797–812. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2011.585227

 

• Plata Zepeda, Y.M., Ramírez Romero, P., Sosa-Rodríguez, F.S. (2018). Economic Assessment of Tourism Based on Shark-Seeing and Diving as a More Profitable Activity Than Commercial Fishing. In: Leal Filho, W., Pociovălișteanu, D., Borges de Brito, P., Borges de Lima, I. (eds) Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy: Principles, Challenges and Perspectives. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73028-8_12

 

• Paulo Torres, Nuno Bolhão, Regina Tristão da Cunha, José António Cabral Vieira, Armindo dos Santos Rodrigues, Dead or alive: The growing importance of shark diving in the Mid-Atlantic region, Journal for Nature Conservation, Volume 36, 2017, Pages 20-28, ISSN 1617-1381, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2017.01.005 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1617138117300328

 

• Pedro G. Gonzáles-Mantilla, Austin J. Gallagher, Carmelo J. León, Gabriel M.S. Vianna, Economic impact and conservation potential of shark-diving tourism in the Azores Islands, Marine Policy, Volume 135, 2022, 104869, ISSN 0308-597X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104869 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X21004802

 

• Steven E. Campana, Warren Joyce, Mark Fowler, Mark Showell, Discards, hooking, and post-release mortality of porbeagle ( Lamna nasus ), shortfin mako ( Isurus oxyrinchus ), and blue shark ( Prionace glauca ) in the Canadian pelagic longline fishery , ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 73, Issue 2, January/February 2016, Pages 520–528, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsv234

 

• Skomal, Gregory B., Boston University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,  2006. 3214988, The physiological effects of capture stress on post-release survivorship of sharks, tunas, and marlin, https://www.proquest.com/openview/8ca00c04690f4e08af29cdba396e2976/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

 

• https://ultimatefishingnews.com/angler-toeten-immer-mehr-haie/

 

• Kátia Meirelles Felizola Freire, et. Al. Estimating Global Catches of Marine Recreational Fisheries. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020; 7 DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00012

 

• https://www.newsweek.com/newsweek-com-catch-release-shark-fishing-predators-blood-boil-1749873

 

• Lucy Harding, Austin Gallagher, Andrew Jackson, Jenny Bortoluzzi, Haley R Dolton, Brendan Shea, Luke Harman, David Edwards, Nicholas Payne, Capture heats up sharks, Conservation Physiology, Volume 10, Issue 1, 2022, coac065, https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coac065