Protecting Ocean Wildlife
Protecting Sharks
Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems – but they face risks of bycatch and capture in commercial fisheries.
Sharks have several characteristics that make them susceptible to commercial exploitation, including a long life, a late age at sexual maturity, and producing a small number of young. The loss of sharks, due to both targeted and incidental capture in commercial fisheries, can negatively impact ecosystems through the reduction of key predators, altering prey behavior, and, in some instances, releasing lower-level species from predation, which can upset the food chain.
It is therefore vital to both adequately manage fisheries that target sharks and use bycatch mitigation efforts in fisheries that incidentally capture sharks. SFP provides advice and recommendations to the supply chain to support both mitigation efforts for incidentally captured shark species and the management of targeted species. We also collaborate and support other NGO projects and initiatives that are aligned with our work.
Projects that protect sharks
Electronic monitoring of endangered smalltooth sawfish bycatch in the Florida pink shrimp fishery
Electronic monitoring of endangered smalltooth sawfish bycatch in the Florida pink shrimp fishery
This project is designed to develop and test innovative electronic monitoring (EM) systems on several shrimp vessels in Florida, to improve monitoring of smalltooth sawfish bycatch in the pink shrimp fishery.
Shark Bycatch Mitigation Decision Support Tool
Shark Bycatch Mitigation Decision Support Tool
The Nature Conservancy, in partnership with external fisheries and policy experts, developed this tool to help decision makers identify location-appropriate shark bycatch mitigation measures that can be enabled by electronic monitoring
Increasing data reporting and protection of ETP species in mahi-mahi longline fishery
Increasing data reporting and protection of ETP species in mahi-mahi longline fishery
The Ocean Allies program recognizes and rewards the commitment of mahi fishermen from Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala who demonstrate their commitment to addressing bycatch issues through data collection and best fishing practices
Help protect sharks in commercial fisheries
Email SFP’s Protecting Ocean Wildlife team to learn more about our work and see how you can help.