A third of the chondrichthyans, These include sharks, rays and chimeras, are threatened with extinctionaccording to the latest report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group. The study, published at the end of 2024, indicates that overfishing is the biggest threat to them worldwide. This reality seems far away, but There are chondrichthyans in Argentina and they are in danger.
In the Argentine Sea there are about 105 species of these fish, which are characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton instead of bones. Fifty-five are sharks, 48 are batoids (stingrays, mutts, and the like), and two are chimeras. “It is alarming that the 71% of chondrichthyans living in our waters belong to a risk category from extinction according to the IUCN criteria,” warns Juan Martín Cuevas, coordinator for the protection of rays and sharks at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Argentina Lack of information to determine the conservation status of one of five species present in the Patagonian Sea and in the areas of influence.
Humans kill about 100 million sharks per year, 274,000 per day, more than 11,000 per hour and three per second.
There is a risk of disappearance It’s even more worrying when we consider how important they are to the environment.. “Sharks are top predators, meaning they are at the bottom of the food chain, and because of this role they play a crucial role in the oceans: maintaining balance by regulating other lower species in the chain,” says Cuevas.
Yet fear is the most commonly observed pattern in public opinion about sharks. Of the Film release shark, In 1975, the prototype of this example was built as a villain And this had a direct impact on the bond with the species: hunting increased and public pressure to implement restrictive and anti-conservative measures increased. But while the International Shark Attack File reported seven deaths from shark bites in 2024, the International Fund for Animal Welfare reports points out Humans kill around 100 million sharks every year274,000 per day, more than 11,000 per hour and three per second.
Despite emerging threats – such as habitat degradation, climate change, pollution and increasing tourism – 99.6% of chondrichthyan species assessed by the IUCN have been observed are at risk of being caught in fisheries.
355 of the 391 threatened species are targeted, but the majority are chondrichthyans are victims of bycatch or Bycatch. That is, they are caught through fishing mechanisms such as trawls, longlines and gillnets, which are used to hunt other species. In 99% of cases, unintentionally caught specimens are retained.
Intentional fishing accounts for a third of threatened deep-sea sharks Fish for their meat and the squalene in their liverthat is used for Manufacture of cosmetics, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Meat serves as a livelihood or is used in local and traditional dishes. For example, ray skin is used as sandpaper and shark teeth and jaws in jewelry making. Aside from that, The threat of recreational or sport fishing and negative fishing remainsi.e. killing out of fear of the species.
The fin trade, which experienced exponential growth in the 1990s, is declining due to the current situation increasing regulation of flutter or fin beat. This practice consists of fishing specimens, cutting off their fins and then throwing the body into the sea, where the animal drowns because it cannot swim.
“Argentina stands out for this one of the highest capture and landing rates of chondrichthyans“, ranks sixth in the world in the period 2007-2017 and is currently first in stripes,” emphasizes Cuevas. Nevertheless, Gustavo Chiaramonte-Conicet researcher at the Puerto Quequén Hydrobiological Station, which is subordinate to the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences “B. Rivadavia” and member of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group – argues this the number of landings has decreased in recent yearsboth due to population decline and changes in fishing fleets.
The national situation of these species has a direct impact on their global survival. He The Southwest Atlantic is one of the most important locations for shark conservation in the world. The presence of endemic species makes their deterioration due to loss of genetic richness even more worrying. In Argentina there are more than 20 Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA), important areas for their protection, defined based on biological and ecological criteria.
“He The main problem is the over-dimensioning of the fishing fleet. “The amount of tons of cargo that the fleet has is infinitely greater than what the Argentine Sea can produce,” says Chiaramonte. “This has an impact not in the same year, but in 20 years, in the scenario we have today, where.” Instead of 6,000 tons of catfish per year, we have 2,000. And we continue to sink,” he warns.
Besides sharks other chondrichthyans are vulnerable to overfishing and bycatch in the Argentine Sea are the chimera roosterfish and the American elephantfish (Callorhinchus callorynchus) classified as Vulnerable (VU) and large guitar stripes (Pseudobatos horkelii) Critically Endangered (CR), the spotted stingray (Atlantoraja castelnaui) also in CR and el Chucho (Myliobatis goodei), VU.
“There are only a few species of chondrichthyans that can support fisheries. The catfish would be one if it was managed well, but because it hasn’t been managed well, we are in this situation,” argues the biologist. “To manage it well, you have to stop fishing when you reach a limit.” When a limit is reached, fishing continues in this country. It seems they are afraid of reducing fishing pressure or stop fishing directly,” explains Chiaramonte. “Economic interests are much stronger than anything else,” he complains.
Most landings of sharks, rays and chimeras are exported. He Nationwide fish consumption is very low and chondrichthyans account for less than 5%.. The main species consumed are the angel shark, the catfish and the American elephant fish or rooster fish.
Shark products exported include whole specimens, decapitated and gutted logs, fresh, frozen or dried fillets and fins.. “Stingrays are the main group caught and landed in large quantities,” says Cuevas. The most requested product is frozen meat, destined for South Korea, followed by whole frozen specimens destined for China, and edible offal such as liver and semen, also largely destined for the Republic of Korea.
National regulations prohibit and specify the targeted capture of chondrichthyans Only five shark species can be landed and traded if caught by chance: dogfish, catfish, angelfish, stingray and catfish. “The rest of the captured species must be returned to the sea in the most traumatic way possible to maximize their survival, or if they arrive dead on deck, they must be preserved and transported to a research institute for research,” explains Jorge Colonello, head of the chondrichthyan fisheries program at the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (Inidep). Aside from that, Landing cockfish is permitted and a maximum limit is set equal to 30% of the total number of ray species caught per trip.
“Argentina is a reference in terms of Variety of measures taken“aimed at the sustainable management and conservation of cartilaginous fish,” emphasizes Colonello. These include specific measures (e.g. total annual allowable catches), group measures (e.g. tidal landing limits), good fishing and return practices, banning finning and establishing closed areas for bottom trawling in areas with reproductive and juvenile concentrations of these species. “Their compliance is monitored by port inspectors and on board merchant ships, as well as by surveillance satellites,” he explains.
However, Chiaramonte argues: “All bans and things like that make no sense. They are a mini-improvement, but no one knows whether they work or not because there are no evaluation projects.” This is what the researcher claims Sustainable management can only be achieved if the fishing community is involved. It illustrates that The National Shark Action Plan was “purely and entirely scientific” because the productive fishing sector and the maritime sector were not included in the discussions. “That led to the plan becoming the status quo, and that was it,” says Chiaramonte. “You have to realize that you are a biologist and you know biology, and that the fisherman knows something about fishing,” he concludes.
In addition to fear, at the national level, the Misinformation about presence and vulnerability of these species. Chiaramonte points out that a lot of work has been done recently and emphasizes that one group that is now very committed to protecting the sea is recreational fishermen. This is due in large part to the work done Initiative to protect sharks in Argentina.
The collaboration with more than 240 sport fishermen – proposed by WCS, the Museum of Natural Sciences of the National University of La Plata and the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences Bernardino Rivadavia – achieved that they caught a shark Release it with a mark under the dorsal fin with the necessary data for identification.
The information collected by fishermen is in some cases unpublished. “We are promoting a paradigm shift in their activity: on the one hand, the transition from fishing with victims to fishing with tagging and return to the sea; and on the other hand, we are adding them Contribute to the collection of important information for nature conservation“, explains Cuevas.
“The most effective measures are always to convince usersthat the people using the resource are aware of it. “In the long term, this will lead to better results than any fishing regulation,” emphasizes Chiaramonte. “Trust has to be created and at some point everyone sits at the table and says: ‘How do we change course?’“, he concludes.
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