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SAWFISHES
R E S O L U T I O N
June 1999
"Resolution to list two species of sawfishes, Pristis pectinata and Pristis perotteti on the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973"
Whereas, the smalltooth (Pristis pectinata) and
largetooth sawfishes (Pristis perotteti) are highly vulnerable to
incidental capture in entangling fishing gear in coastal waters;
Whereas a recent analysis of the demography of two sawfish
species indicate, that sawfish have a very low biological potential for
population growth;
Whereas, these sawfishes are vulnerable to habitat
disturbances in coastal regions due to their almost exclusive distribution in
freshwater and estuaries;
Whereas, there is no federal management for sawfish
populations in U.S. waters;
Whereas, early accounts from coastal waters of the Southeast
U.S. suggest that sawfish were once abundant in the region;
Whereas, the U.S. proposal to prohibit the international
trade of all species of sawfishes was considered at the 1Oth Conference of
Parties to CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species;
Whereas, the IUCN Shark Specialist Group has listed the
smalltooth sawfish as Endangered globally and Critically Endangered in the
Northwest Atlantic, and the largetooth sawfish as Critically Endangered
globally, on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened
Animals;
Whereas, the NMFS has placed these sawfishes on the U.S.
Endangered Species Act Candidate Species List;
Therefore, be it resolved that the membership of the American
Elasmobranch Society requests the NMFS to begin a review as soon as possible of
the status of the smalltooth (Pristis pectinata) and largetooth (Pristis
perotteti) sawfishes to evaluate their listing as Threatened or Endangered under
the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Adopted, June 26, 1999.
SPINY DOGFISH
R E S O L U T I O N
June 1999
"Resolution for the Implementation of a spiny dogfish Squalus
acanthias Management Plan in the US western North Atlantic"
Whereas, scientists (from the
National Marine Fisheries Service, the Spiny Team and the Scientific and
Statistical Committees of the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management
Councils) have determined that North West Atlantic spiny dogfish
regulations are urgently needed in order to halt serious overfishing and rebuild
the spawning stock biomass within the legal time limit of ten years;
Whereas, the National Marine
Fisheries Service has yet to publish the spiny dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FW)
more than three months after its submission by the Councils;
Whereas, the FMP's rebuilding
plan is based on implementation in May of 1999,
Whereas, National Marine
Fisheries Service denied the Mid-Atlantic Council's request for interim action
to protect the stock during peak summer fishing;
Whereas the female segment of the
population is depleted and recruitment overfishing has been occurring;
Whereas, the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission recently voted unanimously to begin development of
coast-wide spiny dogfish regulations based on the Federal FMP;
Therefore be it resolved, that
the American Elasmobranch Society calls upon the National Marine Fisheries
Service to publish and expeditiously review the spiny dogfish FMP and to
implement final regulations, based on the scientifically-derived spawning stock
biomass (SSB) rebuilding target of 200,000 mt (rather than the Councils' target
of 180,000 mt) no later than November 1, 1999.
Adopted June 26, 1999.
PROHIBITION OF FINNING IN WESTERN PACIFIC
R E S O L U T I O N
June 1999
"Resolution on finning of sharks in the U.S.
Whereas, finning is the practice of removing the
fins from a shark and throwing the rest of the shark back into the water;
Whereas, tens of thousands of blue sharks are
subject to finning each year in the US Pacific;
Whereas, pelagic sharks are not subject to
effective management in the Western Pacific Management Council region;
Whereas, the National Marine Fisheries Service
has stated that finning of sharks is wasteful and contrary to US fisheries
policy;
Whereas, a finning ban would be consistent with
other State, Federal and international fishing policies
Whereas, the Western Pacific Fishery Management
Council and the State of Hawaii recently failed to take action to end or to
control finning, despite widespread concern from fishermen, the public,
scientists, conservationists, and the National Marine Fisheries Service;
Therefore, be it resolved that the American
Elasmobranch Society urges the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, the
State of Hawaii, and the National Marine Fisheries Service to immediately end
the practice of finning in US Western Pacific waters.
Adopted June 26, 1999.
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