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What: The Annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) where representatives from Atlantic fishing nations will discuss proposals for measures to better prevent shark finning and to protect shortfin mako sharks from overfishing will end tomorrow.

When and where: 21st November 2017 Marrakech, Morocco (one day earlier than expected).

What’s been  discussed: Mako protection: Shortfin makos are exceptionally vulnerable to overfishing and yet to date no catch limits have been set by ICCAT or the countries with the highest catches (including Spain and Morocco). By the close of tomorrow’s meeting we expect to be able to report developments on this issue.

The need for a stronger finning bans: ICCAT’s ban on shark finning (the wasteful practice of slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea) is hard to enforce because a complicated, unreliable fin-to-body weight ratio is used to monitor compliance. We will be able to update on ICCAT parties response to the proposal.

Interviews: Members of Shark Advocates International, Shark Trust, Ecology Action Centre, and Project AWARE have formed the Shark League for the Atlantic and Mediterranean, a coalition dedicated to responsible, science-based regional shark conservation. They will be issuing a press release and be available for interview at the close of the meeting.

Media contact : Patricia Roy, tel: +34 69690 905 907, email: patricia@communicationsinc.co.uk