Justice For Jaws

A shortfin mako (back) and blue shark (front), two species at the centre
of the ICCAT conference (Andy Murch)

No Limits? No Future!

Tope. Blue shark. Porbeagles. Shortfin mako. Smoothhounds. Catsharks. These beautiful species of shark can all be found in British waters.  Yet, as is a sadly common story in this day and age, they're all in pretty sharp decline. These sharks are commonly landed in Atlantic waters, accounting for around 97% of sharks landed by fisheries in the region. Statistics collected in 2012 show that 280,000 tons of these sharks were landed in Atlantic waters, although the true statistic is likely to be as much as quardruple this. (SharkTrust, n.d.).  It's about high time that something was done to help sharks before it is too late!

The Shark Trust is currently heading a campaign called No Limits? No Future!, and is also currently attending the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting in Malta. 

The IUCN lists the shortfin mako as being Vulnerable to extinction and decreasing in numbers and the blue shark to be Near Threatened (2015). The campaign seeks to finally place limits on the numbers of these sharks landed in Atlantic waters annually, as well as prohibiting the retention of the Porbeagle Shark (Shark Trust, 2015), which the IUCN lists as Vulnerable and decreasing in numbers. 

Porbeagle shark (Canadian Shark Research Lab) 

The Marine Conservation Society says that Porbeagle meat is among the most valued of all shark meat (2015). It is also used in vitamin supplements! Though it is protected by the EU and in Uruguay (Shark Trust, 2015), it is not protected anywhere else in the Atlantic.

Nursehound (or bull huss) in the National Marine Aquarium (February 2015)-
an often overlooked, yet commonly consumed, species
of shark

In a world where half of the world's marine life has perished in the last 40 years we absolutely must start taking care of our oceans. It is not just about protecting the species we love most. It is about caring about the entire ecosystem for the planet's sake, and for own!

References

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2015) Isurus oxyrinchus Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39341/0 Date accessed: 15th November 2015; Prionace gluaca Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39381/0 Date accessed: 15th November 2015; Lamna Nasus Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/11200/0 Date accessed: 15th November 2015

Marine Conservation Society (2015) Porbeagle Shark Available at: http://www.mcsuk.org/support_mcs/Get+involved/30+species/30+Species+-+Porbeagle+shark Date accessed: 15th November 2015

Shark Trust (2015) ICCAT Available at: http://www.sharktrust.org/en/iccat Date accessed: 15th November 2015

Shark Trust- No Limits? No Future! (no date supplied) The Campaign Available at: http://www.nolimitsnofuture.org/campaign/ Date accessed: 15th November 2015

Killer Seagulls?

A juvenile gull in Looe, Cornwall (October 2015)

Seagull Mania

I am used to "seagulls". I grew up in Dover, and now study and live in Plymouth. Neither towns exactly have a shortage of gulls, so I am more than accustomed to their noises and their seemingly predatory habits of snatching chips and pasties from your hands. 

But, whereas I don't really mind "seagulls", there are plenty of people who despise them. The media is part of the anti-seagull brigade, too, and this year (2015), seagulls seemed to be public enemy number one. Even David Cameron became involved; as this news article from the Guardian shows, he called for a "big conversation" as there were talks of a gull cull.

The Human Impact

Juvenile herring gull outside the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth,
November 2014

What we as a society don't want to acknowledge (or admit?) is that the "thug" behaviour of gulls is a reflection of our own activity. The deaths of the dogs and tortoise as mentioned in the article are, of course, tragic, and the behaviour of the gulls cannot be ignored. However, it is of vital importance to discuss why "seagulls" are behaving the way they are, and how the media has an agenda against them. While the article does talk about the conservation status of herring gulls, there is little attempt to discuss the reasons behind the "aggressive" and "problematic" behaviour of seagulls. 

Black-headed gull (summer
plumage) Fountains Abbey, Ripon,
North Yorkshire, April 2015

Before I move on, "seagulls" don't really exist. The term generally applies to herring gulls and lesser black-backed gull, the two most familiar types of gull. Also, it is vital to address that their numbers are NOT booming, contrary to the hype and misinformation in the media. In fact, just like the majority of British wildlife, both types of gull are in real trouble. The conservation status of the herring and lesser black-backed gulls are Red and Amber respectively, meaning that they have both suffered a significant decline and range reduction (RSPB, n.d.). Of course, there are other species of gull, such as the black-headed and greater black-backed, but they don't receive nearly so much bad publicity. 

As you can see, I have posted a photo of a black-headed gull in Ripon, North Yorkshire, which is very far from the sea. This is a common trend, and is a symptom of what our activities have done to the sea (as little as we would like to admit it). If you've ever had a pasty stolen from your hands by a gull, or seen them hanging around near bins, you would know that they're opportunists, and that's where we as a society have created a problem.

- The WWF states that over 85% of the world's fish stocks are fished to or beyond capacity (2015). This means that the main natural food source of seagulls is removed and the ecosystem is profoundly affected. This means that the gulls are moving further inland to find their food sources (hence why they're in Ripon!).

Herring gulls surround a fishing boat in Looe, Cornwall
(March 2015)

- Poor fishing practices, such as gutting the fish onshore, attracts seagulls and encourages them to scavenge and use their opportunistic behaviors.

- Poor management of waste, particularly food waste attracts seagulls! So by dropping the odd chip on the ground here and there, seagulls are encouraged to scavenge where there are people. Similarly, actively feeding the gulls is not such a good idea as it provides further encouragement.

Gulls are not normally aggressive. Most of the attacks occur in the early summer, which is when their nesting and brooding season is!

No Gull Cull!

So, with regards to the talks of a gull cull, it is a silly idea and would solve very little. 

Before we point at seagulls, we must resolve our own bad behaviour to rectify the issue!

* We MUST discourage people from feeding the seagulls!
* Better management of waste, particularly of food waste
* Tighter regulations on the gutting of fish on the coast
* More sustainable fishing practices- not just to discourage seagulls, but for the entire ecosystem

Therefore, we need to admit that we have made this problem ourselves, and culling them is simply not the answer!

References

The Guardian (2015) Seagull attacks: David Cameron calls for "big conversation" about issue Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/18/seagull-attacks-david-cameron-big-conversation Date accessed: 19th October 2015

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (no date supplied) Herring Gull Available at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/h/herringgull/ Date accessed: 19th October 2015; Red, Amber and Green Explained Available at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/status_explained.aspx Date accessed: 19th October 2015

World Wildlife Fund (2015) Overfishing Available at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing Date accessed: 19th  October 2015