23 February 2016
CMS MOS2 Agrees to Protect 22 Additional Species of Sharks and Rays
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At the Second Meeting of the Signatories (MOS2) to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), countries agreed to protect an additional 22 species of sharks and rays.

The 22 species listed include five species of sawfish, three of thresher shark, nine species of mobula ray, the reef manta ray, the giant manta ray, the silky shark, the great hammerhead and the scalloped hammerhead.

mos222 February 2016: At the Second Meeting of the Signatories (MOS2) to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), countries agreed to protect an additional 22 species of sharks and rays. The 22 species listed include five species of sawfish, three of thresher shark, nine species of mobula ray, the reef manta ray, the giant manta ray, the silky shark, the great hammerhead and the scalloped hammerhead.

As the first legally non-binding international instrument dedicated to global shark conservation, the Sharks MOU aims to achieve and maintain a favorable conservation status for migratory sharks based on scientific information and the socioeconomic value of these species. The listing of 22 new species in MOU Annex 1 brought the total number of species to 29, while the Programme of Work (2016- 2018) adopted at MOS2 identifies priority actions for implementation, focusing on the top priorities of the Conservation Plan, including: the establishment of a Conservation Working Group under the Advisory Committee (AC); activities on bycatch, fisheries management and data collection; cooperation, partnerships and capacity building; MOU implementation; and fundraising.

In an editorial, Bradnee Chambers, Executive Secretary, CMS, notes that ensuring the survival of sharks is in the global public interest and requires concerted, cooperative action. In the article he draws attention to the need to involve all stakeholders in conservation efforts, especially given advancements in technology that have dramatically increased fishers’ catch as well as by-catch.

The meeting also saw the addition of seven new cooperating partners. Portugal became the fortieth Signatory to the MOU, while the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Project AWARE, Shark Trust, Sharks Advocates International, Manta Trust, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) also signed the agreement.

In addition to the listing proposals and the draft Programme of Work, MOS2 addressed the rules of procedure; administrative and budgetary matters; partnerships and cooperation; and national reporting. It tasked the intersessional working group with the mandate to develop, over the next triennium, a new communications strategy to elevate the profile of the Sharks MOU.

While the new listings and the ambition expressed in the Programme of Work (2016-2018) were positive developments, the bulk of deliberations during MOS2 focused on procedural issues. The MOU’s rules of procedure, an item left unresolved since MOS1, were approved after much deliberation, with the exception of bracketed text regarding rules on decision making and quorum. Signatories agreed to work intersessionally and reevaluate the matter at MOS3.

Almost 200 participants, including 32 Signatories and the European Union (EU), attended MOS2, which convened from 15-19 February 2016. in San José, Costa Rica. [IISD RS Coverage of CMS MOS2] [UNEP Press Release] [CMS Press Release] [Chambers Editorial: Solidarity with Sharks] [CITES Press Release]


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