Source: Mongabay
In a historic move, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) has banned the captive breeding of Greenland sharks in international waters. The intergovernmental organization’s decision means that Greenland sharks can neither be intentionally caught nor held as catch. However, if countries prohibit the disposal of fish — as is the case with Iceland, Norway, Greenland and the Faroe Islands — an exception to the batch rule may apply.
Sonja Fordham, president of Shark Advocates International, who attended the recent NAFO meeting in Portugal, said: tell Mongabay. “We’re glad it’s finally over, and this is the first time of this kind of NAFO protection.”
The Greenland shark is known as The longest living vertebrate in the world, with research showing some individuals can live up to 500 years. This long lifespan may be the result of a very slow metabolism, adapted to the cold, deep waters where it is found. A slow metabolism may explain the sharks’ slow movements, slow growth and slow aging – it is thought that they only reached sexual maturity more than a century ago. As a result, the culling of adult Greenland sharks will affect species and ecosystems for decades — all the more reason to celebrate this new ban.
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