Two species of endangered elasmobranch are recommended to receive additional protection in the Caribbean
Thanks to the efforts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the critically endangered largetooth sawfish and the threatened silky shark have respectively been recommended by the SPAW scientific and technical advisory committee for addition to Annex II and Annex III of the SPAW Protocol. The SPAW Conference of Parties is expected to approve these listings in June. This a great step forward in the cross-border management of these migratory species.
Sharks have been vilified and exploited for decades, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now estimates that one-quarter of the world’s sharks and rays are threatened with extinction due to human activities. From the destruction of important nursery grounds to the endless appetite for shark fin soup, these formidable apex predators have been treated as if they are an infinite resource. Once abundant in reefs throughout the Caribbean, sharks are now often a scarce sight. Other species of elasmobranch, such as rays and sawfish, are also rapidly declining.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands has been at the forefront of shark conservation since 2015 when the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, with generous funding from the Dutch Postcode Lottery, launched the Save our Sharks project. The project has achieved much through local research, monitoring and education. Also the establishment of the Yarari Marine Mammal and Shark Sanctuary in 2015 was a major achievement in shark conservation. However, due the migratory behavior of sharks, these measures only go so far in helping protect the species. What is needed is a cooperative approach between all countries through which the sharks migrate, and especially where they establish nursing grounds.
In a bid for regional cooperation and cross-border protective management of endangered species and habitats, 25 Caribbean countries, including the Kingdom of the Netherlands, have legally pledged to work together to protect and manage the Wider Caribbean region’s coastal and marine resources through the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol.This legally binding environmental treaty requires signatory countries to cooperate with each other to either fully protect species (those listed in Annex II) or ensure their sustainable use (those listed in Annex III).
The year 2017 saw a huge win for elasmobranchconservation when, following a request from the Netherlands, the first seven species of sharks and rays were added to the Protocol’s Annex III (oceanic whitetip shark, whale shark, two species of manta ray and three species of hammerhead shark) and the smalltooth sawfish to Annex II.
Thanks to the once again tireless efforts of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and the Dutch elasmobranch Society (NEV), the critically endangered largetooth sawfish and the threatened silky shark have respectively been recommended by the SPAW scientific and technical advisory committee for addition to Annex II and Annex III of the SPAW Protocol. The SPAW Conference of Parties is expected to approve these listings in June.“Through the SPAW protocol, signatory countries have made firm commitments to ensure the protection of these unique animals throughout their Caribbean range” explains Paul Hoetjes, Coordinator of nature policy for the Caribbean Netherlands of LNV.
The largetooth sawfish resembles a shark but is in fact a species of ray with a flattened head and distinct saw-like snout (rostrum) that protrudes from the head and has protruding teeth along its margins. The population of this sawfish species, which was labelled as “the elasmobranch species most in danger of extinction” in a 2014 study, has drastically declined and the sawfish has been listed as Critically Endangered since 2013.
The silky shark is a large but slender oceanic shark that gets its name from the smooth and silky texture of its skin. The IUCN Red List status of the silky shark was adjusted in 2017 from “Near Threatened” to “Vulnerable” due to an estimated 47-54% decline of the global population over three generations.
Both species are under a large number of threats, including overfishing and accidental bycatch. The silky shark is favored for its fins, and are ranked amongst the three most important sharks in the global shark fin trade - with up to 1.5 million fins being traded annually from this species. Silky sharks are also highly susceptible to incidental capture intuna and swordfish fisheries due to their diet preference, and the long snout of the largetooth sawfish easily gets tangled in fishing nets.The life history characteristics of elasmobranchs, notably a slow growth, late maturity and low fecundity (produce few young), means that these species have an especially hard time rebounding from exploitation.
The Dutch Caribbean islands are home to 26 shark species, among which are some of the most iconic species such as whale sharks, tiger sharks and hammerheads (Beek et al., 2014; Davies & Piontek, 2017). The safeguard of these highly migratory species will require a continuedcooperative approach between all countries through which they migrate, and an increase in safe havens like the Saba Bank and the Yarari Sanctuary. Thankfully, many countries in the Wider Caribbean region have come to their senses and are now working to protect these spectacular species on which healthy oceans and island economies are so dependent.