Panama: Finding Solutions to Curb Fishing of Pregnant Sharks
Published 23 August 2019 (11 hours 1 minutes ago)
Scientist in Panama say commericial fishing is killing pregnant sharks and newborns off the coast, and they're trying to find solutions to reduce the indices.
Female scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) migrate to Panama’s Bay of Punta Chame to give birth, but are being fished by industrial traulers in the area, putting the already endangered species a closer risk of extinction, according to a study by the nation’s Secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt).
In a two-year study released on Friday, the Senacyt along with scientists from the Ramsar Regional Center of the Western Hemisphere showed how fishermen are using large nets that capture all types of critical species in the biodiverse, underwater region including other at-risk animals such as rays, along with pregnant and juvenile sharks too young to be legally captured.
(Senacyt) and Ramsar made their joint conclusions by marking with sonar detectors 171 individual sharks and seven rays, as well as tracking 150 fishermen to know where each fished.
Researchers focused on the scalloped hammerheads as they are on the ‘endangered’ species list and because many newborns and youngsters are found in Punta Chame, a small peninsula protected by the Gulf of Panama on the country’s western shores.
More:
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Panama-Finding-Solutions-to-Curb-Fishing-of-Pregnant-Sharks-20190823-0017.html