Porbeagle Shark

You are here:

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

Best Fish Guide: Porbeagle Shark

 Ranking: E (Red - Avoid)

What's this? 

 Description: Pobeagle sharks, like most shark species, are slow growing and highly vulnerable to overfishing. They are related to mako sharks and are listed as a vulnerable threatened species on the IUCN-Red list of threatened species. Porbeagle sharks are highly migratory and are mainly caught as bycatch in a range of tuna longline fisheries on the west coast of both main Islands. They are also caught as bycatch in some mid-water and bottom trawl fisheries. Most of the porbeagle sharks landed (around 66%) are caught just for their highly priced fins, with the rest of the carcass dumped at sea. Jointly with orange roughy, porbeagle shark has the lowest ecological ranking on the Best Fish Guide.

Ecological concerns: there is limited research on porbeagle sharks and no stock assessment. As a result there is uncertainty about the state of the stocks and the sustainability of catch limits. The fisheries associated with the porbeagle shark catches also catch other sharks, seabirds and fur seals. When caught as bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries, seafloor habitats are also damaged.
Whilst there is no management plan for porbeagle 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 porbeagle sharks, nor is there any difference in its management from the status quo. The practise of shark finning porbeagles 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 Asia.

ASSESSMENT OUTPUT

Biology and risk of overfishing (score E)
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