A joint action plan between the US and Cuba to fight against sharks’ killing
Cuba is home to about a fifth of the 500 shark species in the world. Many sharks and other fish traveling from the north of Cuba to off the Florida coast, following their prey.
The lack of regulation and management has put predators at risk. According to the reports of American and Cuban biologists, millions of sharks are caught each year with hundreds of tonnes discarded after having cut the fins taking no records.
Cuba – and especially Cuban fishermen – are therefore considered one of the greatest threats to some of these shark species caught as both a staple food and a source of folk remedies such as shark liver oil popular in the country.
The lack of regulation and management has put predators at risk
Shark protection becomes a common ground for the United States and Cuba. The two countries finally invest in joint research on sharks and launch an action plan to end more than half a century without regulation or management of these threatened predators.
Cuba has already banned fishing for shark fins, but the restrictions in the new shark action plan, including quotas on the number of sharks caught, will inevitably affect the local fishermen whose shark fishing is a way of life.
Predators at the top of the marine food chain are exterminated by overfishing worldwide. Their number is significantly down due to the high demand for shark fins. In the Gulf of Mexico, some populations have fallen more than 90 percent.
Read also : Enhanced protection for 22 sharks and rays species
Read also : Galapagos, a new shark sanctuary
