Sharks in the jaws of extinction
12 April 2012
A third of all sharks are threatened with extinction because they are overfished or killed in swordfish and tuna catches, a nature group warned today.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which produces the world's Red List of endangered species, released its shark study before a meeting in Spain of tuna fishery managers. "Despite mounting threats, sharks remain virtually unprotected on the high seas," said Sonja Fordham, a shark specialist for the group.
The great and scalloped hammerhead and the giant devil ray are globally endangered, IUCN said. The basking and oceanic whitetip, two Mako species and three Thrashers join the Great White as "vulnerable to extinction".
