It was with great surprise and joy that I received this morning in my daily news clipping the email about the measure adopted by the UN and addressed to all participating nations. UNEP – United Nations Environment Program, the main global environmental authority that determines the international agenda on the environment, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development in the United Nations System and serves as an environmental protection authority in the world.
In an UNEP plenary held by video conference and coordinated at the UN headquarters in New York, a measure was proposed, discussed and adopted that recognizes the ecological role of elasmobranchs as regulators of the oceans and their importance for the perfect balance of seas and oceans, source of oxygen, carbon fixation and maintenance of average temperature across the planet.
As a result of this recognition, the proposal also adopts a moratorium on fishing for any and all species of elasmobranchs, sharks, rays and chimeras, on the planet for the next 50 years, with automatic renewal for another 50 years unless studies show that the populations of these species are recovered at healthy and safe levels for fishing. Of course, this includes a total ban on finning, fishing for sharks just because of the fins, discarding the rest of the animal’s body back into the sea. The measure was approved by an absolute majority, more than 2/3 of the plenary, closed ballot , but several nations chosed to declare their votes of approval of the measure after the plenary, in a meeting with the media present at the event.
There was also an attempt to approve a 2-year term for the international approval of the measure, but it was overturned and the measure will have immediate international approval shortly after UNEP publishes it in an Open Letter to each of the participating UN countries, which then they must internalize the measure through national laws in their respective governments.
Dear reader, if you made it this far, I need to deny this April Fool’s post.
But rest assured that this would be news that Divers for Sharks would really love to publish, as the end product of our fight for the preservation of sharks, oceans and the planet itself! And think about this: the results would be (will they be? !!) magnificent for the entire ecosystem of the planet, and could really be one of the measures that will save us from huge problems, at a reasonably small cost: stop killing elasmobranchs.
Think about it this Easter and make a wise and proactive decision: don’t eat fish this holiday!