As you may already know, Divers for Sharks is campaigning to fund its presence at the UN Conference on Migratory Species CoP13 to be held in India in February 2020.
There are several reasons for Divers for Sharks to be present and I will summarise five of them here, which are 4 proposals to be put to the vote in the plenary and a side event.
1st proposal
Work on migratory sharks will be discussed, and it will bring to light new scientific information and other developments, and propose changes, if necessary, to current conservation measures. This document also proposes the consolidation of these species in a single Chondrichthyan resolution (sharks, rays, skates and chimeras).
2nd proposal
Brazil is a proponent of including the Oceanic Whitetip Shark in Appendix I for protection by this convention. This shark occurs in waters between 30ºN and 35ºS up to depths of 150 m and is killed for its fins and meat. The IUCN shows a sharp decline in population across all oceans, classifying the species as vulnerable (VU). It’s a beautiful animal of great importance to marine ecosystems and great interest to non-lethal use through diving in places such as the Bahamas.
Read the full proposal at the following link:
3rd proposal
The popularly called smooth-headed hammerhead shark, which scientific name is Sphyrna zygaena, is a highly migratory species, a pelagic shark that occurs throughout the Brazilian ecological-economic zoning (EEZ) and adjacent international waters, assessed as Vulnerable (VU), using the IUCN criteria. They are targets for artisanal and industrial fisheries, due to high-priced fins and the meat of young and young. Brazil also wants this species to be protected under CMS rules. Read this complete proposal here:
4th proposal
The Crystal-beaked shark, Galeorhinus galeus, is a medium-sized shark, occurring mainly in cold to warm temperate coastal areas of all major oceans. Globally rated as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, Critically Endangered (Southwest Atlantic), Vulnerable (Mediterranean, Europe, Australia and South Africa), Near Threatened (New Zealand) and Least Concerns (Eastern North Pacific). It begs CMS protection too. Read this complete proposal here:
And the fifth reason
for Divers for Sharks to be present, it will be the official Side Event where we will sign and on as Cooperating Partners of the Sharks MoU: A global platform to facilitate cooperation between the various states on the conservation of sharks and migratory rays. We want to be part of this Memorandum of Understanding to boost its application in Brazil and elsewhere in the Latin world, where many countries are still actively causing shark declines by overfishing and fin trafficking.
And don’t forget to help Divers for Sharks to be there to defend the sharks. Enter this link to be part of this fight: https://diversforsharks.com.br/help/
Best wishes and here we go!
Penguin Paulo Guilherme
Co founder of Divers for Sharks
CEO Onda Azul Marine Study Center