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CONSIDERING that silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) are caught in association with ICCAT fisheries;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the silky shark has been ranked as the species with the highest degree of vulnerability in the 2010 ecological risk assessment for Atlantic sharks;
CONSIDERING that SCRS recommends that proper conservation and management measures, similar to those adopted for other vulnerable shark species, be also adopted for the silky shark;
NOTING the geographic range of the silky shark, which inhabits coastal and oceanic waters throughout the tropics;
1.Contracting Parties, and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities (hereafter referred to as CPCs) shall require fishing vessels flying their flag and operating in ICCAT managed fisheries to release all silky sharks whether dead or alive, and prohibit retaining on board, transshipping, or landing any part or whole carcass of silky shark.
2.CPCs shall require vessels flying their flag to promptly release silky sharks unharmed, at the latest before putting the catch into the fish holds, giving due consideration to the safety of crew members. Purse seine vessels engaged in ICCAT fisheries shall endeavor to take additional measures to increase the survival rate of silky sharks incidentally caught.
3.CPCs shall record through their observer programs the number of discards and releases of silky sharks with indication of status (dead or alive) and report it to ICCAT.
4.Silky sharks that are caught by developing coastal CPCs for local consumption are exempted from the measures established in paragraphs 1 and 2, provided these CPCs submit Task I and, if possible, Task II data according to the reporting procedures established by the SCRS. CPCs that have not reported species-specific shark data shall provide a plan by July 1, 2012, for improving their data collection for sharks on a species specific level for review by the SCRS and Commission. Developing coastal CPCs exempted from the prohibition pursuant to this paragraph shall not increase their catches of silky sharks. Such CPCs shall take necessary measures to ensure that silky sharks will not enter international trade and shall notify the Commission of such measures.
5.Any CPC that does not report Task I data for silky shark, in accordance with SCRS data reporting requirements, shall be subject to the provisions of paragraph 1 until such data have been reported.
6.The prohibition on retention in paragraph 1 does not apply to CPCs whose domestic law requires that all dead fish be landed, that the fishermen cannot draw any commercial profit from such fish and that includes a prohibition against silky shark fisheries.
7.In their annual reports, CPCs shall inform the Commission of steps taken to implement this Recommendation through domestic law or regulations, including monitoring, control and surveillance measures that support implementation of this recommendation.
8.In 2012, the SCRS Sub-Committee on Statistics shall evaluate the data collection improvement plans (referenced in paragraph 4) submitted by CPCs and, as necessary, make recommendations on how shark data collection can be improved.
9.In 2013, the SCRS shall evaluate the information provided under paragraphs 3 and 4 and report on the sources of silky shark mortality in ICCAT fisheries, including silky shark discard mortality rates, and provide an analysis and advice regarding the benefits of a range of specific silky shark management options.