Environmental experts say Seychelles will have to carefully assess the impact of the harvest and sale of shark products as it begins a detailed assessment of the newly-protected hammerhead shark within its waters in order to adhere to an international convention to which it is a signatory.
At a recent conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in Bangkok, Thailand, three new species of hammerhead sharks (scalloped, smooth and great) were added to the list of protected species.
The CITES agreement, which already covers more than 5,000 species of animals and 29,000 species of plants, dictates that member countries should regulate the exportation of products of these species with CITES permits to ensure that they are not over-exploited.
This move was further heightened by the classification of one of the species,the scalloped hammerhead as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, with recommendations from the Shark Specialist Group, a watchdog for the world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras.
Sharks play a critical role in maintaining a balanced food chain in marine ecosystems, but scientists say that sharks have become one of the most exploited species on the planet, with an estimated 100 million sharks killed every year to supply growing demand for shark fins, meat and gills.
The seemingly insatiable demand for shark has resulted in a 97 percent drop in shark populations over the last two centuries.
Distinct with its hammer’ for a head, the scalloped hammerhead, which is fairly large, is highly prized in Asian countries, mainly for its fins, and over-exploitation has led to severe depletion in its global population.
An ancient tradition
In the Indian Ocean archipelago of Seychelles, the tradition of shark fishing has been practised for centuries by the population although compared to most countries, when caught, the entire shark is used.
Shark meat is considered as the cheapest in the local market, selling in pieces of around two dollars each and is usually either served with rice as a Creole dish called satini reken’ (shark chutney) or as a curry with coconut milk by the local population of 90,000. Other parts, such as the jaw are left to dry and used as ornamentation in houses.
With its thriving marine environment, shivers of scalloped hammerheads are easily reeled in by fishermen in coastal waters of the Indian Ocean islands of Seychelles, although they are also often captured as by-catch by various commercial fishing vessels, such as long-liners and purse seiners.
Seychelles, a signatory of the CITES convention, also exports a small amount of shark products and in order to adhere to the Convention, a study was recently launched to investigate the status of the scalloped hammerhead.
The scalloped hammerhead is the second shark species to be put under the microscope by the Indian Ocean Island following the declaration of whale sharks (Rhincodontypus), the largest shark in the world as a protected species.
The vast tropical waters of the Seychelles once teemed with great white, hammerhead and tiger sharks, but overfishing has decimated shark stocks in recent years, particularly around the inner islands.
Although no longer found in the Seychelles throughout the year, hammerhead sharks still aggregate in the Seychelles’ coastal waters to breed between June and August.
Depending on the species, sharks are caught throughout the year although the scalloped hammerhead, also known as Marto rouz’ in the native Creole language, is one of the most common out of three species of hammerhead shark, part of the family Sphyrnidae, that can be found around the archipelago.
To combat overfishing, the Seychelles has introduced a National Plan of Action for Conservation and Management of Sharks aimed to ensure that the sharks are harvested sustainably by both commercial and artisanal fishers, but many local fishermen are cautious about the implications of tightened regulations for the species.
For artisanal shark fishermen [in Seychelles], that is fishermen who actively target shark with specialised modified anchored long lines known locally as drag’, this species is the single most important component of their catch due to its size and relative abundance, read a statement from the Artisanal Shark Fishers Association, ASFA.
The association, comprised of fishermen using a wide variety of fishing practices, has been working with researchers to collect data on the scalloped hammerhead since late last year, in a project that is expected to span three years, targeting the plateau around the most populated island of Mahe.
The project entails the collection of data and samples from scalloped hammerhead throughout the year, especially during the breeding season.
The collection of data is expected to include different types of fishing practises, from seasonal shark fishing, traditional year-round hand-line fishing and the bycatch of juveniles among mackerel fishermen in order to assess the population.
Tissue samples will be taken from adult specimens to allow for DNA analysis of the population, said ASFA, adding that effective population size is an indicator as to the number of breeding females in the population which, when coupled with the size and sex ratio of catch data and the known life history characteristics of the species.
According to ASFA, this accurate and precise compilation of data is important to the artisanal shark fishers given the socioeconomic importance of the harvest of this species.
Seychelles News Agency, 2015