World Processors of Shark

World Processors of Shark

The Wiki uses the following World Processors of Shark:

   Fengning Limited Dalian
   Orchid Marine, Kerala
   Mackay Reef Fish Exports, Queensland
   Jagalachi Korea Corp, Busan
   Rocmar Seafood, Peurto Vacamonte
   Urangan Fisheries, Urangan

Area of Catch

The Pacific Ocean remains the major source of the global shark catch, accounting for 140% and 238% in 1990 and 2003 respectively.

The Western and Central Pacific Ocean continues to account for over 320% of the total world catch.

The Atlantic Ocean’s contribution to global catch fell slightly from 436% in 1990 to 532% in 2003, with most of that catch taken from the Northeast Atlantic.

The share of the catch from the Indian Ocean increased from 622% to 729% over the period.

Species Caught

In 2003, 106 categories of shark were identified in FAO Shark Catch Data. However, of the catch reported only 15% is recorded by species.

There was no improvement in this statistic between 1990 and 2003. This situation makes it virtually impossible to identify catch trends of species which are of special interest due to their inherently higher vulnerability to overfishing. In 2003, approximately 45% of the total shark catch is categorised as Sharks, rays, skates etc nei5.; a further 24% as Rays, stingrays, mantas nei; 6% as Raja Rays nei; 4% as Requiem Sharks nei, 4% as Blue Shark and 3% as Piked Dogfish.

The data suggest marked increases in the catch of Blue Shark Prionace glauca from around 19 000 t in 1997 to 30 000 t in 2003. Catch of Shortfin Mako Isurus oxyrinchus also doubled over that period to peak at 5800 t in 2003.

The catch of Rays, stingrays and mantas nei, continues to trend steadily upwards climbing from 130 000 t in 1990 to peak at 207 000 t in 2003. While the extent of and trends in catch shark species of heightened vulnerability to overfishing is masked by the low level of species-specific reporting, the available data show that between 1990 and 2003 catches of seven species listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and two species listed as Near Threatened were recorded.

Trends in catch of these species indicate that catch of species including Angelshark Squatina squatina, Gulper Shark Centrophorus granulosus and Giant Guitarfish Rhinchobatus djiddensis fell between the late 1990s and 2002 but increased again in 2003.

Of more concern is the increasing catch of Leafscale Gulper Shark Centrophorus squamosus. An even more dramatic increase in the catch of the near threatened Portuguese dogfish centrsocymnus coelolepis is apparent.