Trump administration gets sued over Dusky Sharks

Oceana, the largest international ocean conservation and advocacy organization, filed a law suite against the Trump administration over protection for Dusky Sharks. The NGO says that authorities failed to act in order to stop the over fishing of dusky sharks in U.S. waters.

Oceana filed a law suite against the Trump administration saying that authorities failed to act in order to stop the over fishing of dusky sharks in US waters. The action came in response to a final rule the federal government issued in April to address its failing management of these sharks. According to Oceana, the new rules will not deal with the primary issue of limiting bycatch – unwanted fish and other marine creatures trapped by commercial fishing nets during fishing for a different species.

“When the federal government agreed last year to release a new rule to protect dusky sharks, Oceana expected this opportunity would create meaningful action on an issue that has been effectively ignored for decades. After the rule was released, however, it became clear this was just an extension of the status quo. We need significant changes in U.S. fisheries if we want to save the thousands of vulnerable sharks that are killed by human activity every year”, said in a statement Oceana campaign director, Lora Snyder.

The issue that Oceana has with the measures released last month is that while they do impose the usage of less damaging circle hooks, they do not provide consequences or accountability for those that catch prohibited shark species as a bycatch. Without putting in place a mechanism or incentives to deter fishermen, the new rules will not be effective in stopping the decline of the dusky shark population.

Oceana wants the government to adopt three measures that, according to them, will be efficient in preventing depopulation. Earthjustice, which will represent Oceana in the following suite, says that the Fisheries Service have to do more to prevent excessive bycatch.

“In order to give dusky sharks a clear shot at recovering to a healthy population level, the Fisheries Service has to put a stop to the excessive by catch across the multiple fisheries that snag these sharks. The Fisheries Service is trying to solve the over fishing problem without addressing the primary cause. It’s a bit like trying to reduce car accidents by posting a speed limit but not monitoring traffic and stopping cars for speeding. Ultimately, you need to actually enforce the limit to get drivers to slow down,” said in a statement Andrea Treece, Earthjustice attorney representing Oceana in the litigation.

Oceana has been running a campaign in order to save the dusky sharks and ensure the recovery of population. According to the NGO, populations off the Atlantic coast are estimated to have declined by 65% as a result of over fishing and bycatch. While capturing dusky sharks is prohibited, any attempt to protect the specie is undone by the failure to account for bycatch, the NGO states.

And dusky sharks are not the only species in trouble. According to NOA, last year, three types of angel sharks have been added on the list of endangered sharks in the US. The NOA list also features the hammerhead sharks. The IUCN Shark Specialist Group found that the status of many sharks continues to deteriorate despite protections put in place by the National Marine Fisheries Service.