The judge considered that the consultations necessary to adopt this order had not been properly carried out, which undermines the scientific basis of this fishing. In fact, the Prefecture had not submitted his decision to any scientific council worthy of the name, so that no protocol had methodically regulated this fishing.
An anti-scientific decision
Through the media, the scientists of the Reserve have had the opportunity to express their opposition to this fishing in the middle of a rich natural area still in reconstruction and therefore particularly fragile. Obviously, such fishing in a protected area goes against the ecological interests of the reserve whose official mission is the optimal preservation of all species, as the interrelations are strong between fish fauna and coral production.
The Fisheries Committee is the structure responsible for conducting the Shark 2 program. However, these fisheries scientists, who are not scientists, design the program, implement it, and control it. The conclusions they draw from their own analyses do not present any impartiality or scientific credibility. However, it is on the basis of these conclusions that the prefect authorized the capture of sharks in the heart of a protected marine area, itself valuable for the economy and tourism.
Non-selective fishing and opaque methods
Recall that many species of sharks, key species in the ecosystem and ocean food chains, are considered threatened by IUCN (2). Capturing them without further study as to their population, movements and behaviours necessarily has negative consequences for the entire equilibrium of the ocean and more particularly for the already fragile coastal area of Reunion.
The fishing methods used are vertical longlines (drum line) where baits are hung that do not attract only the targeted species. Two-thirds of the catches made under the program would be bycatch. It is difficult to know what is being done, since no sworn and independent observer is accepted on the fishing boats (the reports of the Technical Committee of the Fisheries Committee admit some difficulties in collecting the information). Many animals are paying the price, such as the Great White Shark, protected species, killed last October, for lack of a real training of the actors of the program and the presence of independent competent persons on board.
A dangerous but lucrative fishing
According to a completely absurd logic, the prefect wishes to secure the water activity areas by attracting sharks near these areas! This fish has the potential to attract animals to a space they might otherwise not have occupied.
Far from decreasing, this system where public money and natural heritage are sacrificed on the altar of obscurantism has just been institutionalized within ACRAR (3), a new association which is based on the old methods, allows to the main architects of this absurd system to carve out a lion's share. That certainly explains that…
(1) Supported by Tendua, Safeguarding Sharks, Waves, Requin (Shark) Integration and Brigitte Bardot Foundation.
(2) International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(3) Association for Shark Risk Resource and Support Centre
