. 24/7 Space News .
WATER WORLD
Over half of Med's shark and ray species 'at risk of extinction'
by Staff Writers
Madrid (AFP) Dec 5, 2016


Over half of the Mediterranean's shark and ray species are at risk of extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said Monday, blaming overfishing for plummeting numbers.

Of the 72 known species of sharks and rays that exist in the Mediterranean, 39 face "an elevated risk of extinction", the conservation group said in a report released in Spain.

Twenty species -- 12 shark species and eight ray species -- are "critically endangered", or one step away from extinction, according to the report.

Species listed as "critically endangered" included the smooth hammerhead shark, the great white shark and the blue shark.

The Geneva-based IUCN said the conservation status of 11 species of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean had worsened since it issued its last assessment in 2007.

Over the past half-century 13 species of sharks and rays have become extinct in various spots of the Mediterranean due to overfishing, it added.

Local extinctions have been more prevalent in the waters of Spain, France and Italy as well as in northwest African countries and nations bordering the Adriatic Sea.

Nick Dulvy, co-chair of the IUCN shark specialist group, said in the statement, said governments needed to "establish fishing quotas and protected areas at domestic level".

"Consumers on the other hand need to be aware of the risk of what buying these products entails," added Dulvy, a researcher at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver on Canada's west coast.

Scientists say sharks and their close relatives, rays, are particularly vulnerable to over-fishing because many species take several years to mature and have relatively few young.


Comment on this article using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics






Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
WATER WORLD
Corals much older than previously thought, study finds
University Park PA (SPX) Dec 02, 2016
Coral genotypes can survive for thousands of years, possibly making them the longest-lived animals in the world, according to researchers at Penn State, the National Marine Fisheries Service and Dial Cordy and Associates. The team recently determined the ages of elkhorn corals - Acropora palmata - in Florida and the Caribbean and estimated the oldest genotypes to be over 5,000 years old. T ... read more


WATER WORLD
Orbital ATK Ends 2016 with Three Successful Cargo Resupply Missions to ISS

Space Food Bars Will Keep Orion Weight Off and Crew Weight On

Russian Space Sector Overcomes Failures

Embry-Riddle Students Join Project PoSSUM to Test Prototype Spacesuits in Zero-G

WATER WORLD
Russia to Launch Fewer Spacecraft in 2016 Than US, China for First Time

Soyuz-U Carrier Rocket Installed to Baikonur Launching Pad

Ariane 5's impressive 75 in-a-row launch record

Vega ready for GOKTURK-1A to be encapsulated

WATER WORLD
CaSSIS Sends First Images from Mars Orbit

First views of Mars show potential for ESA's new orbiter

ExoMars space programme needs an extra 400 million euros

Opportunity team onsidering a new route due to boulder field

WATER WORLD
China launches 4th data relay satellite

Material and plant samples retrieved from space experiments

Chinese astronauts return to earth after longest mission

China completes longest manned space mission yet

WATER WORLD
ESA looks at how to catch a space entrepreneur

Thales and SENER to jointly supply optical payloads for space missions

Citizens' space debate: the main findings and the future

Two-year extensions confirmed for ESA's science missions

WATER WORLD
New technology of ultrahigh density optical storage researched at Kazan University

Earth's 'technosphere' now weighs 30 trillion tons

A watershed moment in understanding how H2O conducts electricity

Researchers take first look into the 'eye' of Majoranas

WATER WORLD
Biologists watch speciation in a laboratory flask

Timing the shadow of a potentially habitable extrasolar planet

Fijian ants began farming 3 million years ago

Researchers propose low-mass supernova triggered formation of solar system

WATER WORLD
New analysis adds to support for a subsurface ocean on Pluto

Pluto follows its cold, cold heart

New Analysis Supports Subsurface Ocean on Pluto

Mystery solved behind birth of Saturn's rings









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.