Shark Focus

CAMPAIGN CORNERJune 2013: The Shark Trust awarded Richard Benyon, UK Minister forNatural Environment and Fisheries, a coveted Shark Champion Award inrecognition of his personal commitment to shark conservation and theUK government’s tireless resolve to end the removal of shark fins at sea.Announcement of the award was triggered by the European Council ofMinisters finally adopting the best practice for finning ban enforcement:requiring sharks be landed with fins still attached (see page 9).The EU banned shark finning throughout the EU fleet in 2003, but aloophole permitted the provision of permits for the removal of shark finsat sea, requiring the retention of the carcasses under an excessive andcomplicated ratio system.The Shark Trust has been campaigning for tighter EU shark finningregulations for over a decade, both independently and as a foundermember of the Shark Alliance. Throughout this campaign the UKgovernment has listened to the debate and been ardent in its engagement.It gives the Trust huge pleasure to be able to present the Minister with aShark Champion Award for his personal involvement in this campaign.In 2008 the Shark Trust encouraged the Minister, then Shadow FisheriesMinister, to co-sponsor an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling on the UK tocease the provision of permits which allowed the removal of shark finsat sea. Following pressure from the EDM, and the associated publicawareness campaign, the UK adopted a fins attached policy in 2009under the then Fisheries Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, who was alsoacknowledged as a Shark Champion. In 2010 the EU Commission releasedtheir consultation, making the recommendation in 2011 for the adoptionof the fins-attached policy – and in the wake of this the Minister made aseries of key interventions, convening Member State workshops and evendiving with sharks to demonstrate the depth of his commitment.HousekeepingIntaxication: Euphoria of getting a refund from the Inland Revenue, which lasts until you realise it was your money to start with.Nearly four months into this financial year already, Idon’t know where the time is going. It has been a busyfew months and The Shark Trust completed anothersuccessful audit in May. It is nice to report that not onlyare we continuing with exceptional conservation work, butwe do this with financial transparency. Again this auditshows only 6% of our finance is used for administration,management and governance. The accounts will shortlybe submitted to the Charities Commission and CompaniesHouse, in line with legal requirements, and they can beviewed through the charities commission website free ofcharge.So that was the exciting bit, now for the domestics: someof the membership have moved house in the last fewmonths and have kindly sent their new details to theoffice. One such change showed that a member had infact moved a couple of times in between the notificationand had forgotten to let us know. If you have moved houseplease make sure you tell me where you are, not so I caninvite myself around for drinks – I promise I will not turnup unannounced – but so I know where to send your SharkRichard Benyon, UK Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries, receives a Shark Champion Awardfrom Shark Trust Director of Conservation, Ali Hood. © Shark Trust.Focus issues. If you miss out on copies we might not havea back issue when you realise I have not sent you one.Standing orders: Please can those of you who pay by thismethod ensure your bank are honouring your payment andat the correct amount. Individual membership is £25 pa,junior/student £15 pa and groups £50 pa. For those whowould like to set up a standing order please contact theoffice and I will happily send you a form.Gift Aid: I am sure there are many of you who have notsigned a gift aid declaration as yet. To be certain we getthe most from your subscriptions and donations pleasedownload a form from the website and send it to the officeor contact me on glenys@sharktrust.org and, again, Iwill happily send you a new form out.If you have any questions with regards finance andadministration or you wish to update any of your details,please do not hesitate to contact me on glenys@sharktrust.org, I am always happy to hear from you. Havea lovely summer, fingers crossed it lasts a bit longer.Glenys Heafield,Head of Finance and Administration& Company SecretarySupporting the European Elasmobranch AssociationThe Shark Trust4 Creykes Court, The Millfields,Plymouth PL1 3JBTel: (+44) (0)1752 672008/672020 Fax: (+44) (0)1752 672008Email: enquiries@sharktrust.orgWebsite: http://www.sharktrust.orgShark FocusFeatures4 No Limits? Campaign6 Andy Murch Q & A10 Dogfish are sharks too14 Sharksafe Barriers16 Great Eggcase Hunt round-upRegulars8 Shark Trust and World Shark News9 Policy12 Member’s Page13 Junior Member’s Page18 Fundraising and Web comment19 EEA Conference 2013Issue 47 July‐ 2013Edited by the Shark Trust©Shark Trust 2013Shark Focus is published three times a year in March, July and November. Copy date forthe next issue is 30th September 2013. Shark Focus is copyrighted and therefore thosewishing to reproduce articles must first contact the Shark Trust. The views and opinionsexpressed by the authors in Shark Focus are not necessarily those of the Shark Trust.Established in 1997, the Shark Trust works to advance the worldwide conservationof sharks through science, education, influence and action. The Trust is the UKmember of the European Elasmobranch Association and currently provides theEEA’s secretariat services.Trustee/Directors: Richard Peirce (Chair), Sue Bates, George Bowser, Roger Covey, Paul Cox,Sarah Fowler OBE, Heather Koldeway, John Nightingale and Christopher Pringle.Patrons: Nick Baker, John Boyle, Leonard Compagno, Marc Dando, Bob Earll, Nigel Eaton,Ian Fergusson, Mariella Frostrup, Loyd Grossman, John Gummer MP, Monty Halls, Martha Holmes,Kate Humble, Sir David Jason OBE, Gordon Ramsay OBE, Simon Rogerson, Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch,Michaela Strachan and Valerie TaylorThe Shark Trust is supported by: the Co-operative, Defra, the Waterloo Foundation,the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Pew Foundation, Save our Seas Foundationand the Tubney Charitable Trust.Design: Fluke Art. www.flukeart.comBlue Shark, Prionace glauca. © Charles Hood.EDITORIALSince trade and commerce began they have been governed by the laws of supplyand demand. Most animal conservation NGO’s concentrate their efforts on reducingor regulating supply. Regulating supply is done through legislation, treaties andagreements. Unfortunately history shows that passing laws and making a supplyillegal is rarely fully effective, because whenever there is demand a means of supplywill be found – whether legal or illegal. In the 1920’s and early 30’s in the U.S alcoholprohibition was a failure and led to thriving illegal supply. In today’s world the illegaltrafficking of drugs and humans has the world’s police forces deployed against them yetthe trades increase in value and volume every year.For many species, including some sharks, the extinction clock is ticking. Attempts toregulate or legislate against supply may slow the clock, but they won’t stop it ticking.To stop the clock we must concentrate on demand as well as supply – without demandthere would be no need for supply!In May the Trust was pleased to accept an invitation to the launch of HRH PrinceCharles and HRH Prince William’s Wildlife Crime Campaign. The Princes acknowledgethe importance of making wildlife crime as serious as drugs, human trafficking, and theillegal arms trade. The launch was attended by representatives from Interpol, CITES, theUN Office On Drugs and Crime, TRAFFIC and many leading NGO’s.For sharks the recent CITES Appendix II listing of the Porbeagle, Oceanic Whitetip andthree hammerheads is a positive step. However, as I said at the beginning of this piece,establishing legal frameworks and penalties has never stopped supply if the demandpersists. Their Royal Highnesses are calling a Head of State meeting in the autumn toprogress their initiative – it is to be hoped that Heads of State from the countries whichprovide the demand will be invited along with those from supply nations.As well as trying to play its part in the broader global picture the Trust never forgetsthe UK has a fantastic diversity of wildlife – including of course sharks – and wecontinually strive to achieve new measures for the conservation and management ofthe UK’s sharks. Shark conservation doesn’t have to be something you just support,it can also be something you take part in. We are hosting the European ElasmobranchAssociation conference in Plymouth in November and hope that many Shark Trustmembers will attend. If you are on the beach or in the water this summer please reportshark or ray sightings and send in any eggcases you find.We must be due a summer of blue skies and flat seas, so if the weather is kind I hopesome of you manage to get out and see some of our wonderful sharks.Go well,Richard PeirceChairmanP.S. I had just put my pen down (yes I still use a pen not a keyboard) and my e-mailpinged with the brilliant news that the EU Council of Ministers had accepted the text ofthe Fins Naturally Attached legislation voted on so overwhelmingly last November. Thiscloses the loophole and is a very positive step in which the Trust has been proud tohave played a significant role.2 www.sharktrust.org/campaigns Shark Focus 47 Shark Focus 47 www.sharktrust.org 3