Blue shark, Prionace glauca. (Photo: NOAA)
Blue sharks raise growing interest among fishermen in Canary Islands
SPAIN
Friday, March 27, 2015, 03:00 (GMT + 9)
A working group of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is meeting this week in the Oceanography Centre of the Canary Islands of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) to prepare the next assessment of the blue shark (Prionace glauca).
The international group chose IEO facilities in the Canary Islands for this meeting as for over 40 years the Spanish research on central Atlantic tuna and swordfish fisheries -- with which the blue shark is associated -- has been led from this Centre.
Tuna fleets and especially longline fishing vessels catching swordfish have traditionally been capturing the blue shark as by-catch, but in recent years it has become the second target species for these fleets because its market price makes it attractive.
Fishermen adapt their fishing strategy and modify the traditional gear for the swordfish (on the type of bait and the use of wire near the hook) to succeed in capturing the blue shark, which is caught mainly south of the western islands.
During the meeting, which was attended by researchers from Japan, Polynesia, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Namibia and Portugal, and by scientists from the IEO and ICCAT, the necessary data to assess blue shark populations that are currently captured as target species are prepared.
The evaluation will take place in July this year in Lisbon and aims to ensure that blue shark fishing is sustainable and the resource keeps the appropriate abundance levels.
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