CITES and Sharks - The Sordid History

I wanted to post this earlier while it was still a bit more timely, but then real life got in the way.

The big news last week was the complete smackdown of conservation efforts for marine species at CITES (even the porbeagle, initially thought to be the one success story, got hosed).  The marine blogosphere (including this blog) cried foul; Southern Fried Science gave us the list of failures, and Guilty Planet lamented the inability of policymakers to think of fish as wildlife. 

It was about this time that I went back to a book I had read a few months ago, Biology and Management of Dogfish Sharks (a great source of info if you like your sharks small and numerous).  Sonja Fordham from the Ocean Conservancy contributed an excellent chapter on the history of dogfish and shark management in both the US and internationally by CITES, and it should be essential reading for anyone interested in the political side of conservation.

Tidewater Recap - Only a Week Late

Last weekend some members of ECU's AFS student unit (including yours truly) headed up to Annapolis, Maryland for the annual meeting of the AFS Tidewater Chapter (which includes fisheries professionals and students from Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina).  Not only was this my first true fisheries conference, but I also gave a poster presentation on my work so far.  Here's a short form recap of the weekend, and a couple (non-incriminating) pictures.

Porbeagles Rejoice!

This porbeagle is psyched.  Photo by Andy Murch.

After the doom and gloom CITES news, it looks like not every animal up for listing got hosed.  News is trickling in that despite the inability of the UN to agree that polar bears need protection, porbeagles managed to make Appendix II.  This is great news for a species that has been in trouble for a long time, even if the Canadian population is starting to annoy some commercial fishermen.  I sure am going to miss bluefin tuna, though...

CITES Results

The Southern Fried Scientist sums it up rather nicely.

No protection for anything at CITES.

Thanks for comin' out.

Ocean Conservation Smackdown at CITES

The Tidewater meeting went well and I'll have a recap of that soon, but I decided the results of the latest CITES (U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) vote should be commented on first.  Read on to see just how trying it can be to be an ocean conservationist.

Dogfish on Tour

One of the perks of being a grad student is that you're considered professional enough to be sent to conferences in your field.  This weekend I'll be at the annual meeting of the AFS Tidewater chapter in Annapolis, MD.  I'll be giving a poster presentation on my work so far on Thursday night, so if you're attending this event or are in the area stop by and cheer me on or heckle me mercilessly.  Several of my lab-mates and fellow grad students will be there as well presenting their work.

Spring Break: Continental Shelf - Scoreboard and Conclusions

Now that I'm back in NC and (relatively) settled, here's the scoreboard and final thoughts on my time aboard the Bigelow.