New Zealand’s shark conservation plan now open for public comment

After months of delay, Fisheries New Zealand and the Department of Conservation recently released a draft of the country’s national plan of action for the conservation of sharks. With global shark and ray populations having declined by more than 70% in the last 50 years, a strong proposal is vital. While a step in the right direction, the current draft does not meet the necessary recommendations that Only One and partners have put forth: 
 1. Mandating observer and/or camera monitoring aboard all commercial fishing vessels 2. Reducing the bycatch or retention targets of threatened and endangered sharks to 0% 3. Requiring that sharks and other bycatch are released with as little harm as possible. We are currently working hard to submit all current names on our pledge to protect New Zealand’s sharks as individual public comments to the government, so if you haven’t signed and shared the pledge yet, this is your last chance!