Mako Shark

You are here:

1. Home
2. What We Do
3. Publications
4. The Best Fish Guide
5. Fish Species
6. Mako Shark

 Best Fish Guide: Mako Shark

 Ranking: E (Red - Avoid)

What's this? 

 Description: Mako sharks, like most shark species, are slow growing and highly vulnerable to overfishing. They are related to porbeagle sharks and are listed as a vulnerable threatened species on the IUCN-Red list of threatened species. A highly migratory species, Mako sharks are taken in large numbers in New Zealand’s tuna longline fisheries, mainly in the West and East Coast of the North Island from the Bay of Plenty north. About 75% of mako sharks caught are processed and the rest are dumped at sea. Mako shark are the third most common species of shark that are targeted for their highly priced fins, with about 47% of the reported catch recorded as finned. Jointly with snapper, oreo/deepwater dory and southern bluefin tuna, mako shark has the second worst ecological ranking of any commercial fishery in New Zealand.

Ecological concerns: Limited research on mako sharks, lack of a stock assessment and uncertainty about the state of the stocks. The high number of juveniles in the catch is also of concern, as is the bycatch of other sharks, seabirds and fur seals. Where mako sharks are caught using bottom fishing methods, impacts on the seafloor and associated communities are also of concern.
Whilst there is no management plan for mako sharks, in 2008 a New Zealand National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks was developed. However, there are no specific conservation actions for makos, nor is there any difference in its management from the status quo. The practise of shark finning makos and other sharks continues to be legal in New Zealand, which is enormously wasteful.

Economic value: The primary value is in the highly priced fins (and tails), which are exported to East Asian markets.

ASSESSMENT OUTPUT

Biology and risk of overfishing (score D)
Status and sustainability of fish catches (score D)
Impact of fishing method and protected, threatened and endangered species captures (score D and E)
Management and management unit (score E and D)
 

For a full ecological assessment click here