International Shark Conference 2000

[Bob Endreson]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14, 1999

Shark Conference 2000

As a result of the a growing international concern for the management of shark fisheries and efforts to eliminate the practice of shark finning, the world's first international shark conservation conference will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii February 21-24, 2000.

Fishery managers, scientists, government representatives and other interested parties from the United States, South America, South Africa, Europe and Asia will attend the Conference in Honolulu to discuss a variety of issues that could have a significant impact on shark management internationally.

WildAid, the Hawaii Audubon Society and the Western Pacific Fisheries Coalition will be presenting the Conference which has set an agenda that will discuss a variety of issues that we hope will assist in furthering management of these fisheries. According to FAO statistics over 100 million sharks were caught last year. However, since bycatch is not recorded, this is likely to be a significant underestimate. Sharks are increasingly used as a food source, predominantly in developing countries, as other fish stocks collapse Shark fisheries are generally poorly documented and poorly regulated, and in many cases appear to be unsustainable even in the short term. 

The goals of the conference would be: 1) to bring together key activists, conservationists, scientists, fisheries management experts, marine enforcement experts under one roof. 2) to give a state of the planet review of sharks and current problems in their conservation. 3) to foster cooperation in progressing shark issues and to develop strategies. 4) to give donors a chance to assess the various areas of potential investment in shark conservation and research. 5) to raise public awareness of the true nature of sharks and shark conservation issues in Hawaii and globally and of the economic and ecological value of sharks. 

Speakers will present their papers and take questions (see agenda). With the first CITES listings proposed for sharks and a number of countries considering stricter management, 2000 may be a crucial year for shark conservation. 

Some of the topics that will be covered will include:

...........Why are sharks in trouble and why should we protect them? 

...........An Overview of the Biological Status of Shark Species

...........A review of international legislation and fora to protect sharks: CITES, FAO, Barcelona & Bonn Conventions, UN Law of the Sea: How could they help sharks ? 

............Shark tourism: the benefits and problems

.............An overview of the world trade in sharks and shark products with special reference to meat, fins, oil and cartilage.

.............The use of, and attitudes to, shark fin in east Asia how can we reduce consumption? 

..............Sharks in longline fisheries 

..............Programs in the Pacific with comments on Pacific Ocean distributions and the effects of live finning

..............The bycatch problem and how to reduce it


For more information, a complete agenda or to register go to http://209.133.10.132/sharkcon/

There is limited seating and reservations are on a first come, first serve basis. 

This Conference is being sponsored by:

The Barbara Delano Foundation The Homeland Foundation The David & Lucile Packard Foundation The AVINA Foundation













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