HALIFAX (CANADA)- The future for porbeagle sharks is still not looking too bright. A decade after being declared an endangered species only a quart remains of the population that was around in the ‘60’s. The porbeagle shark remains at risk, says a group of Canadian scientists.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) re-examined the porbeagle’s endangered status last week in Halifax — and this week re-confirmed it.
Overfishing
Recent estimates from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans put the population at about a quarter of what it was in 1960s — before overfishing devastated stocks.
Vulnerable
There has been very little progress in the rebuilding of this very vulnerable species according to the Ecology Action Centre. According to COSEWIC, the porbeagle’s low fertility rates and late maturity make it “extremely vulnerable” to overfishing and capture as bycatch.
Canada’s shark
How many porbeagles worldwide there are is not certain. North Atlantic populations are estimated at 300,000, most of those are in Canadian waters. The porbeagle is sometimes called “Canada’s shark” because it spends most of its life swimming in Canadian waters.
Read more at CBC News.