Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Blacklisted shark fishing vessel arrested in Liberia
Sea Shepherd assists the Liberian Coast guard to arrest the Labiko 2.
Arrest will save “hundreds of thousands” of sharks

Liberian officials have arrested an internationally blacklisted fishing vessel, which is thought to have killed around 500,000 sharks a year.

The Liberian coast guard, assisted by the marine conservation group, Sea Shepherd, discovered a shark liver oil production facility onboard the ‘Labiko 2’.

Documents inspected onboard revealed previous fishing trips had yielded 40, 52 and 60 metric tonnes of shark liver oil. Forty tonnes equates to 53,000 sharks and, as an average fishing trip lasted 15-18 days, Sea Shepherd estimates more than 500,000 sharks were killed a year.

Sharks grow slowly, mature late and produce small numbers of offspring, meaning they are particularly vulnerable to overfishing. Sea Shepherd warns that the shark liver oil production industry could wipe out a fishery in years, pushing the species to extinction.

The Labiko 2 was found to be using prohibited deep water gillnets, rather than longline fishing gear as per the licence. Gillnets were also being used to target deep water sharks. It was further discovered that the vessel was on international blacklists of three regional fisheries management organisations, under its previous name ‘Maine’.

Liberia’s minister of national defence, the Honourable Brownie Samukai, commented: “The owners and operators of the Labiko 2 conspired to circumvent the laws of Liberia, devastating the Liberian marine environment in the process. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - the Republic of Liberia is not open for business to plunderers.”

Sea Shepherd’s director of campaigns, Peter Hammarstedt, called the Labiko 2 a “floating environmental catastrophe” and said the arrest of this notorious poacher will save “hundreds of thousands” of sharks.

He added that it is “incumbent upon Liberia to take strong action” against the vessel, to ensure shark populations are not decimated in Liberia, as they were in Europe, East Africa and India.

Deep water shark populations plummeted in the North East Atlantic Ocean, falling to 20 per cent of their original numbers, due to the use of gillnets by a fleet of deep water shark fishing boats in the mid-90s. As a result, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea effectively banned the taking of deep water sharks.

Photo by Melissa Romao/Sea Shepherd

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Prof Joanne Webster elected as Fellow of the Royal Society

News Story 1
 Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

An infectious disease expert, Prof Webster is known for promoting a One Health approach to disease control.

She completed her doctoral research in zoonotic disease and parasite-host interactions, and has since earned widespread recognition for contributions to parasitology and global health.

Prof Webster said: "I am truly honoured, and somewhat stunned, to be recognised alongside such an exceptional group of scientists." 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Germany FMD import restrictions eased

The UK government has lifted the import restrictions placed on FMD-susceptible commodities from Germany.

The decision comes after the country was recognised as foot-and-mouth disease free without vaccination on 14 May.

Imports of FMD-susceptible animals and their by-products from Germany were originally banned, after the country reported a case of FMD near Brandenburg in January. In March, the UK government permitted imports from outside of the outbreak zone.

Germany will now be able to import FMD-susceptible animals and their by-products into the UK, providing they meet other import conditions.

The decision follows rigorous technical assessment of measures in Germany. Defra says it will not hesitate respond to FMD outbreaks.