ICCAT meeting ends in dramatic defeat of proposal to end at-sea fin removal while other shark safeguards advance
Limassol, Cyprus. November 18, 2024. This year’s meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) has ended with a dramatic showdown over shark finning with Belize calling for a rare vote, only to be thwarted by Japan and China. ICCAT did manage to finalize protections for devil rays, mantas, and whale sharks, and took steps to improve countries’ compliance with existing requirements to report and limit shark catch.