Protecting the Great White
2004-09-28 09:09
Bangkok - The Great White shark, responsible for killing scores of swimmers and scaring a generation out of the sea through the film Jaws, is set to get protection from its even deadlier foe, the human trophy hunter.
Despite its reputation as the oceans' most ferocious predator, Great White numbers are dwindling and the species is being hunted close to extinction, according to conservation groups.
The sharks are primarily hunted for their teeth and jaws, but are also accidentally netted in large numbers, targeted for shark fin soup and suffer because of increasingly polluted coastal waters, according to the governments of Australia and Madagascar.
The two nations warn that the shark's ferocious reputation has threatened its future and have joined environmental groups to call for new regulations to protect the species at a global conservation meeting in Thailand.
Publicity led to interest in game fishing
"The publicity gained by some of the earliest big game sports fishers in the 1950s and the film Jaws in the 1970s led to a dramatic interest in game fishing for this shark," according to a document to be presented to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) which starts this week.
The two countries want the Great White shark - found in warm waters worldwide and able to grow to more than six metres - to be listed alongside more than 4 100 other animals and 28 000 plant species that can be traded internationally only under permit.
"White sharks are top predators. You remove them and you mess up the whole food chain," says Steve Galster from environment group WildAid.
He warned fishermen could be among the worst hit by a further dwindling of Great White numbers.
Killing sharks has 'serious rebounding effect on fishermen'
"These sharks feed on seals and the like which eat a lot of fish. So if you kill off these sharks it has a serious rebounding effect on fishermen."
The US-based group says over-hunting is aggravated by female Great Whites taking between 12 to 18 years to mature, and males eight to 10 years.
Even when they are sexually mature, a female gives birth to a small litter only every two to three years which means reproduction cannot keep up with the hunters.
It also warned of evidence that numbers were dwindling even in countries where the Great White is protected.
Original Jaws movie shot in Australia
South Australia, where parts of the original Jaws movie was shot, has recorded a 94% drop in Great White numbers in the decade from 1980.
Australia now estimates there are fewer than 10 000 white sharks in its waters after a long-term decline.
It said about 500 were killed by humans each year, notably for their jaws which can fetch up to $50 000 a set.
Conservationists say while the global population is difficult to assess, Great Whites are believed to make up fewer than 0.5% of the estimated shark population.
South Africa was the first country to protect the Great White in 1992, followed by Namibia, the Maldives, the US, Australia and Malta.
The Cites proposal says while tourist shops have long been the easiest place to find Great White products, protection agencies are now having to deal with the loose and largely unregulated world of the internet.
"There is, in particular, evidence of the existence of a thriving international trade in jaws and teeth through the internet, which makes illegal international trade easier."
Wildlife groups acknowledge that the proposal will not automatically be accepted. Activists say protecting marine life will be one of the hottest topics at Cites, which brings together 166 member nations in the Thai capital from October 2 to 14.
Many nations - especially Singapore and Japan - argue the world body should stick to the land and leave protection of the oceans to individual nations.
Australia, along with the United States, lobbied to have the shark listed as fully protected in the lead-up to the last Cites meeting in Chile in 2002 but withdrew the bid when it received almost no global support.
The shark's image as the most dangerous creature in the ocean also makes it a lot harder to garner public support than for cuter species such as the panda and dolphins, according to wildlife groups.
"It's bound to give rise to some strange reactions because its such a mythologised creature and it arouses so much fear," says James Cameron, Southeast Asia director of Traffic, which monitors international wildlife laws.
"It's hard to get public sympathy because, as with crocodiles, people are basically very scared of them."