The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks is an international instrument for the conservation of migratory species of sharks. It was founded under the auspices of the

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn Convention, is an international agreement that aims to conserve Animal migration, migratory species t ...

(CMS; also known as the Bonn Convention).

Background

Many sharks are

apex predators An apex predator, also known as a top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, without natural predators of its own. Apex predators are usually defined in terms of trophic dynamics, meaning that they occupy the highest trophic lev ...

and

keystone species A keystone species is a species which has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance, a concept introduced in 1969 by the zoologist Robert T. Paine. Keystone species play a critical role in maintaini ...

, meaning that they are at the top of their food chain and play a crucial role in maintaining the health of marine environments. Sharks whose members cyclically and predictably move large distances are considered migratory and many

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...

(open ocean) shark species fall into this category. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

considers one-third of all shark species as threatened or near threatened. For migratory sharks the situation is worse, with almost 50% being considered as threatened and 27% being considered as near threatened. Relatively little is known about the behavior of migratory sharks; researchers have been surprised by data on their migrations. Knowledge of 47% of sharks is too limited to determine a conservation status. Before the Migratory Shark MOU was developed, there were no international standards for the management of migratory sharks. Sharks that migrate can travel great distances in the world's oceans, with the whale shark being recorded on journeys of up to long. These extensive migrations frequently and inevitably involve the crossing of national boundaries and through

international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regiona ...

; as the national regulations of coastal nations only apply to 200 nautical miles (370 km) of their coastlines, large parts of these journeys are consequently unregulated. The Migratory Shark MOU was the first global instrument published by the CMS, and the first one ever regarding sharks.

Objectives

The MOU is aimed at facilitating international coordination for the protection, conservation and management of the sharks involved, through multilateral, intergovernmental discussion and scientific research."Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks – Official text"
/ref> It is a global non-binding treaty aimed at improving "compliance and enforcement efforts" for states whose waters are inhabited by these sharks and to states whose flagships pass through

inhabited by these sharks. Signatories to this treaty intend to expand information sharing. The memorandum states:

Species

For the purpose of the MOU, sharks include all species in the class

Chondrichthyes Chondrichthyes (; ) is a class that contains the cartilaginous fishes that have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or ''bony fishes'', which have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. ...

, which cover sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras. Currently there are 29 species listed in Annex I of the MOU, although the annex may be edited following consensus obtained at a meeting of the memorandum's signatories. Currently listed: #Pelagic Thresher Shark (''

Alopias pelagicus The pelagic thresher (''Alopias pelagicus'') is a species of thresher shark, family Thresher shark, Alopiidae; this group of sharks is characterized by the greatly elongated upper lobes of their caudal fins. The pelagic thresher occurs in the tro ...

'') #Bigeye Tresher Shark ('' Alopias superciliosus'') #Common Thresher Shark(''

Alopias vulpinus The common thresher (''Alopias vulpinus''), also known as Atlantic thresher, is the largest species of thresher shark, family (biology), family Alopiidae, reaching some in length. About half of its length consists of the elongated upper lobe of ...

'') #Narrow Sawfish (''

Anoxypristis cuspidata The narrow sawfish (''Anoxypristis cuspidata''), also known as the pointed sawfish or knifetooth sawfish, is a species of sawfish in the family Pristidae, part of the Batoidea, a superorder of cartilaginous fish that include the rays and skates. ...

'') #Silky Shark (''

Carcharhinus falciformis The silky shark (''Carcharhinus falciformis''), also known by numerous names such as blackspot shark, gray whaler shark, olive shark, ridgeback shark, sickle shark, sickle-shaped shark and sickle silk shark, is a species of requiem shark, in the f ...

'') #Great White Shark ('' Carcharodon carcharias'') #Basking Shark (''

Cetorhinus maximus The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in length. ...

'') #Shortfin Mako Shark (''

Isurus oxyrinchus The shortfin mako shark (; ; ''Isurus oxyrinchus''), also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark (''Isurus paucus''). The shortfin mako can ...

'') #Longfin Mako Shark ('' Isurus paucus'') #Porbeagle (''

Lamna nasus The porbeagle (''Lamna nasus'') is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, distributed widely in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere. In the North Pacific, its ecological equivalent is ...

'') #Reef Manta Ray (''

Manta alfredi Manta or mantas may refer to: * Manta ray, large fish belonging to the genus ''Manta'' Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Manta (comics), a character in American Marvel Comics publications * Manta (''Uridium''), a spaceship in the Br ...

'') #Manta Ray (''

Manta birostris The giant oceanic manta ray, giant manta ray, or oceanic manta ray (''Mobula birostris'') is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae, and the largest type of ray in the world. It is circumglobal and is typically found in tropical and subtropical ...

'') #Pygmy Manta Ray (''

Mobula eregoodootenkee ''Mobula eregoodootenkee'', the pygmy devil ray or longhorned mobula, is a species of ray in the family ''Mobulidae''. It is endemic to the Indian Ocean and central-west Pacific Ocean. It ranges from South Africa in the west to the Philippines i ...

'') #Lesser Devil Ray (''

Mobula hypostoma The lesser devil ray (''Mobula hypostoma'') is a ray in the family Mobulidae. They occur along the coasts of the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to northern Argentina. Habitat These rays live in shallow waters and can be found singly or in ...

'') #Spinetail Mobula (''

Mobula japanica The spinetail devil ray (''Mobula japanica''), also known as the spinetail mobula ray or Japanese mobula ray, is a species of pelagic marine fish which belongs to the family Mobulidae. It is found throughout the tropical and sub-tropical waters o ...

'') #Shortfin Devil Ray (''

Mobula kuhlii ''Mobula kuhlii'', the shortfin devil ray, is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is endemic to the Indian Ocean and central-west Pacific Ocean. It ranges from South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and the Seychelles in the west to the Phi ...

'') #Giant Devil Ray (''

Mobula mobular The devil fish or giant devil ray (''Mobula mobular'') is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is currently listed as endangered, mostly due to bycatch mortality in unrelated fisheries. Description The devil fish is larger than its cl ...

'') #Munk's Devil Ray (''

Mobula munkiana ''Mobula munkiana'', commonly known as the manta de monk, Munk's devil ray, pygmy devil ray, smoothtail mobula or Munk’s pygmy devil ray is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is found in tropical parts of the eastern Pacific Ocean, r ...

'') #Lesser Guinean Devil Ray (''

Mobula rochebrunei ''Mobula'' is a genus of rays in the family Mobulidae that is found worldwide in tropical and warm, temperate seas. Some authorities consider this to be a subfamily of the Myliobatidae (eagle rays). Their appearance is similar to that of manta r ...

'') #Chilean Devil Ray (''

Mobula tarapacana The Chilean devil ray (''Mobula tarapacana''), also known as the box ray, greater Guinean mobula, sicklefin devil ray or the spiny mobula, is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae. It is often observed worldwide, basking just below the surfac ...

'') #Bentfin Devil Ray ('' Mobula thurstoni'') #Dwarf Sawfish ('' Pristis clavata'') #Smalltooth Sawfish ('' Pristis pectinata'') #Largetooth Sawfish ('' Pristis pristis'') #Green Sawfish ('' Pristis zijsron'') #Whale shark (''

Rhincodon typus The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, D ...

'') #Scalloped hammerhead shark (''

Sphyrna lewini The scalloped hammerhead (''Sphyrna lewini'') is a species of hammerhead shark in the family Sphyrnidae. It was originally known as ''Zygaena lewini''. The Greek word ''sphyrna'' translates into "hammer" in English, referring to the shape of thi ...

'') #Great hammerhead shark ('' Sphyrna mokarran'') #Northern hemisphere populations of the Spiny Dogfish (''

Squalus acanthias The spiny dogfish (''Squalus acanthias''), spurdog, mud shark, or piked dogfish is one of the best known species of the Squalidae (dogfish) family of sharks, which is part of the Squaliformes order. While these common names may apply to several ...

'')

Signatories

The MOU is a legally non-binding agreement that currently has 48 Signatories, including the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

. The MOU goes into immediate effect for signatories. This Memorandum of Understanding is open for signature by the Range States and regional economic integration organizations of the shark species listed in Annex 1 of this Memorandum of Understanding. Range States are defined as any State that exercises jurisdiction over any part of the range of migratory sharks, or a State, flag vessels of which are engaged outside its national jurisdictional limits in taking, or which have the potential to take, migratory sharks. As the CMS Sharks MOU was concluded as a legally non-binding agreement, a formal ratification process on the national level is not necessary. About 40 national governments agreed to the original adoption of the MoU. Eleven of these signed it on 12 February 2010, although only 10 were needed. The original signatories were Congo, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Palau, the Philippines, Senegal, Togo, and the United States. Nauru and Tuvalu signed on 9 September 2010. Australia signed on 4 February 2011. Sharks were already protected in Australian waters, but the government intends to work closely to distribute more information to other signatories. Chile signed on 6 May 2011. South Africa signed on 12 May 2011. In November 2011, the European Union signed on to the MOU along with the European nations of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, and Romania. The United Kingdom signed in June 2012. Bermuda, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territory, and the Isle of Man, all dependencies of the United Kingdom, also signed the agreement. Vanuatu signed in February 2013. On 16 October 2013, Colombia became the 27th country to the sign the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks. Sweden and Samoa signed the UNEP/CMS Sharks MOU respectively on 5 November 2014 in Quito and 7 November in Apia.

Meetings

After two initial meetings in 2007 and 2008, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed into effect on 1 March 2010, in the city of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, meeting the required amount of 10 signatures, and taking effect immediately for each signatory. It has been adopted by over 48 States in total. The original text is written in English, French, and Spanish, and its creation was chaired by the Philippines. The First Meeting of Signatories to the Sharks MOU was held in

Bonn, Germany The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

, 24–27 September 2012. At the meeting, Signatory States adopted a new conservation plan, which aims to catalyze regional initiatives to reduce threats to migratory sharks. Signatory States also agreed to involve fishing industry representatives, NGOs, and scientists in implementing the conservation plan. The Second Meeting of Signatories to the Sharks MOU was held in

San José, Costa Rica San José (; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley, within San José Canton. San ...

, 15–19 February 2016. Signatory States agreed to add 22 further shark and ray species to its Annex I, defined the Advisory Committee's tasks as requested by the revised EU amendment to the MOU, and created the Conservation Working Group, which comprises a list of experts concerned with shark conservation. Furthermore, the Secretariat highlighted the importance of a cooperation strategy with Regional Seas Conventions (RSCs), Regional Fishing Management Organizations (RFMOs) and other fisheries-related organizations in order to efficiently conserve sharks, fins and rays. Moreover, Portugal was welcomed as fortieth member of the Sharks MOU. From 10 to 14 December 2018, the Third Meeting of Signatories to the Sharks MOU was held in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. Meetings of Signatories are organized regularly to review the conservation status of the species and the implementation of the MOU and Action Plan. At the meetings there is also a possibility for further States and cooperating organizations to sign the MOU.

Conservation Plan

A Conservation Plan has been adopted by the Signatories in 2012 whose implementation forms the basis of the ongoing work under the MOU. A favourable conservation status is achieved when the abundance and structure of populations of migratory sharks remains at levels adequate to maintain ecosystem integrity. The Conservation Plan, listed in Annex 3 of the MOU, is based on five objectives to achieve this goal: * Improving the understanding of migratory shark populations through research, monitoring and information exchange * Ensuring that directed and non-directed fisheries for sharks are sustainable * Ensuring to the extent practicable the protection of critical habitats and migratory corridors and critical life stages of sharks * Increasing public awareness of threats to sharks and their habitats, and enhance public participation in conservation activities * Enhancing national, regional and international cooperation It requires the cooperation among governments, fishing industries, NGOs, local communities and scientists. An Advisory Committee has been established to provide expert advice and suggestions on new initiatives for the implementation of the plan.

References

External links

Official website

IUCN Shark Specialist Group
{{conservation of species Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals Shark conservation Treaties concluded in 2010 Treaties entered into force in 2010 2010 in the environment Treaties of Australia Treaties of Belgium Treaties of Chile Treaties of the Republic of the Congo Treaties of Costa Rica Treaties of Denmark Treaties entered into by the European Union Treaties of Germany Treaties of Ghana Treaties of Guinea Treaties of Italy Treaties of Kenya Treaties of Liberia Treaties of Monaco Treaties of Nauru Treaties of the Netherlands Treaties of Palau Treaties of the Philippines Treaties of Romania Treaties of Senegal Treaties of South Africa Treaties of Togo Treaties of Tuvalu Treaties of the United Kingdom Treaties of the United States Treaties of Vanuatu 2010 in the Philippines