Report | June 11, 2015
Sharks in ICCAT. Unmanaged, Unprotected, and Unreported
The demand for shark fins and meat has changed the picture of fisheries for highly migratory species. Traditionally considered by ICCAT as undesirable bycatch, sharks are now directly targeted or are appreciated as a desirable secondary catch. As a consequence, sharks now rank among the key species caught in ICCAT fisheries, representing 11% of all reported catches by weight in 2012.1
It is widely recognised that sharks’ life history make them especially vulnerable to overexploitation. Pelagic sharks, which are the main shark species caught in ICCAT fisheries, are particularly at risk, with 63% of assessed species considered threatened.2 ICCAT stock assessments and ecological risk assessments (ERAs) for sharks have further highlighted their vulnerability, as well as high levels of uncertainty about the status of shark stocks within ICCAT. As a result, the SCRS has recommended precautionary management for some sharks, including measures to support the recovery of threatened species, and to limit the mortality of commercially fished species.

