|
UK: November 11, 2002
Britain will plead for special protection for gentle giant Basking Sharks at next week's endangered animals summit, an environment minister said.
Basking Sharks are the second biggest fish in the world and the biggest in British waters. They are threatened by hunters who can sell their towering two metre long metre fins for as much as $15,000 as trophies in restaurants and the homes of the wealthy, primarily in Asia.
"These gentle giants of the sea need protection," said Clive James, director of the Shark Trust. "There's been at least a 50 percent decrease in the last 20 years." Basking Sharks are harmless, feeding their seven tonne bodies on plankton.
They may live up to 100 years. They are particularly vulnerable because of their low birth rate, James said. They reach maturity between 15 and 20. Their gestation period may be as long as three years.
Britain's Nature Protection Minister Elliot Morley will take the government's case to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Chile next week. "I hope we get the support we need in Chile," he said. Britain wants the Basking Shark listed on CITES Appendix II.
This is a category for creatures not facing immediate extinction but ones that could be in danger if trade is not properly regulated through import and export permits.
Britain hopes an Appendix II listing will promote international co-operation on managing Basking Shark populations. It would also require countries of origin to ensure the fin and liver-oil trade was not threatening the survival of the species. All EC countries have indicated they will support Britain's proposal.
The EU forbids hunting Basking Shark. There have also been words of encouragement from the US, Canada and Australia.
However, Britain faces tough opposition from hunting and consumer nations. "The usual suspects, the Norway-Japan-Iceland whaling axis, tend to encourage Asian consumer nations to vote against," Morley told reporters. Britain was narrowly outvoted on the Basking Shark issue at the CITES conference in 2000.
Story by Christian Oliver
Courtesy
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
|
