(02-08-10) A study warns of the vulnerability of sharks in the Canary Islands. The protection of their habitats would be an international landmark and would favour these species seriously threatened by commercial interests.

    Oceana and Obra Social de Caixa Catalunya, Tarragona i Manresa have published the report Especies amenazadas, which highlights the inadequate protection measures on marine species. The document applies the Canarian Government for protecting the great diversity of species of sharks and manta rays of the archipelago to make the Islands be an international benchmark for marine conservation.

    No elasmobranchs appears in the Annexes of The Habitats Directive, the Spanish catalogue of endangered species or the Canary Catalogue of Protected Species, despite the risk many species are suffering.

    The protection of elasmobranchs in the international level is specific and limited. Binding laws as the three listed (Habitats Directive, Spanish and Canary Catalogues) do not contain any kind of manta ray or shark, despite the state the risk they are facing.

    On the other hand, only a dozen species are contained in international conventions that protect or regulate the exploitation of European marine species, such as the Berne Convention, Barcelona Convention -which affects only the Mediterranean Sea-, the Migratory Species Convention and OSPAR.

    Waters of the Canary Islands, due to their physical conditions of temperature and abundance of fish species, are inhabited by a great diversity of these species. They have been documented up to 86 different species of sharks and manta rays, such as the angel shark (Squatina Squatina), Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), or the hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran), considered Endangered.

TRADE IS THE OBSTACLE TO PROTECT SHARKS

    The lack of interest in the protection of these species is caused in many cases by trade, as they are the targets of several fisheries for their meat, but also for products made of fins and liver oil.

    Thus, the development of measures to promote their protection becomes necessary. Adding these species to the Catalogue of Protected Species in the Canary Islands for protection or state marine areas that collect habitats these species live in are measures that can position the Canary Islands as a benchmark for marine conservation.

    “Due to the high diversity of species, the Canary Islands must acquire an important role in protecting marine species. The characteristics of the seabed make their waters undoubtedly hide many more species to be discovered, and we cannot allow they reach the risk elasmobranchs face, animals that could take a refuge in the Canary Islands”, says Ricardo Aguilar, Director of Research of Oceana Europe.

    To Miquel Rafa, Director of Environment of Caixa Catalunya, Tarragona i Manresa, “the ultimate purpose of the report is to propose to the EU to recognize the conservation status of some endangered species and to strengthen the EU legislation in this issue.”.

    The report is a pioneering work, as it includes in a single list the marine species listed in the international conventions for protection in Europe and national and regional laws. This list shows the European marine species on which an agreement has been reached for their conservation but which lack of effective protection in many cases.

SPANISH LEGISLATION DOES NOT PROTECT MARINE SPECIES

    On the other hand, it is evident the lack of coordination between different international conventions for the protection of species, as well as Spanish legislation, where the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species includes very few marine species.

    Besides the lack of coherence between lists, the international legislation has little ambition. The new list joins more that 400 European marine species on whose protection there is scientific an political agreement. This figure shows the huge delay existing in preserving the ocean environment, since the last count of the Census for Marine Life identifies about 320,000 species.

    Taking into account that we only know about 5% of the world’s ocean bottoms, it is urgent to increase the research on the sea and strengthen their protection before they suffer irreversible damage.

    The representation of protected marine species in Europe and Spain is minuscule. The Habitats Directive includes around 1,182 species, of which only 16, plus the order cetacea, are marine species. The Spanish Catalogue -currently under revision-, includes 39 among the over 600 species in all.

    On the other hand, 2010, declared International Year of Biodiversity, should not ignore the marine environment. The conservation of biodiversity and marine resources is one of the main unresolved matters in agreements and international policies about nature conservation.

    It is time to act in marine environment before it is too late for many key species for these ecosystems, both of commercial and gastronomic interest, and those lacking a direct benefit for human beings.

Text: Marta Madina / Oceana