The European Union Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks

Mediterranean spurdog (Squalus acanthias) © Dino Simeonidis/Biosphoto

Sharks, rays and chimaeras (chondrichthyans, commonly referred to as 'sharks') are ancient species that play a vital role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems. Since the mid-1980s, they have been under increasingly intense fishing pressure due to higher demand for shark products (meat, fins, skin, cartilage, etc.), especially in Asian markets. This over-exploitation affects populations that are generally fragile and is leading some species to the brink of extinction.

The European Commission's Action plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks aims to address these very issues. It is based on the following three specific objectives:

• deepen knowledge both on shark fisheries and on shark species and their role in the ecosystem;
• ensure that directed fisheries for shark are sustainable and that their by-catches are properly regulated;
• encourage a coherent approach between the internal and external EC fishery policy for sharks.

After a wide consultation of stakeholders, who concluded on the whole that the recommended measures are necessary, the Commission approved the Plan on 5 February 2009 and will forward it to the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.

The European plan is based on the International Action plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA SHARKS) adopted by the FAO in 1999. The international plan aims to ensure the conservation and management of sharks and their sustainable use at global level. It is voluntary but all the States concerned are encouraged to implement it.

 Video streaming - Short version

Useful documents

• European Community Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (COM(09) 40) [ ~ 54 Kb]
• Impact assessment [ ~ 441 Kb]
• Impact assessment (summary) [ ~ 50 Kb]
• Proposal for a Shark Assessment Report [ ~ 222 Kb]
• Fisheries: Commission moves to protect sharks
• Questions and answers – shark action plan
• Hot topic (Commissioner Joe Borg's website)
• Speech by Commissioner Joe Borg at the press conference
• Press conference