Swordfish auction in Vigo. (Phto: Juan Murias)

Highly migratory species now regulated

SPAIN
Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 23:10 (GMT + 9)

The Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM) will now regulate the targeting of swordfish (Xiphias gladius), blue shark (Prionace glauca), mako shark (Ixurus oxyrhinchus) and pelagic sharks in an effort to reduce their mortality and promote the sustainable fishing of these species.

Ministerial Order 1647/2009, published on 22 June in the Official State Bulletin, effectively prohibits the target, on board possession, landing or sale of these resources on the part of any vessel that is not included in the census unifying the surface longliner fleet. 

The norm also puts forth a prohibition on landing the species as incidental or bycatch.

This MARM order is based on the recommendations made by the scientific committees of such Regional Fisheries Management Organisations as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

Last week, the Ministry announced it would seek to prohibit the target and sale of thintail thresher (Alophias) and hammerhead (Sphyrnas) sharks, in a move to protect these two vulnerable species.

Representatives of the General Secretariat of the Sea, a dependency of MARM, met with members of the fishing sector and various non- governmental organisations and debated and analysed the proposal regulating thintail thresher and hammerhead fishing.

The idea is to prohibit the catch and sale of both species by any type of fleet and fishing gear.

Related article:

- Thintail thresher, hammerhead shark ban on the table

By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com