Europe wants protection for the porbeagle

15 February 2012

The European Commission has published a proposal for the inclusion of the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) in Annex III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This will result in the requirement for any export of porbeagle from the EU to be accompanied by an export permit attesting the legality of the catch.

The porbeagle is a slow growing, late maturing species that has been subject to overfishing. The data on fishing and trade are scant. Inclusion in CITES Annex III will provide data on fishing and trade that will be useful in establishing conservation and trade measures for the protection of the species.

The proposal is available here: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0044:FIN:EN:PDF