Guam among first to protect sharks

Guam - Roughly 60% of the world's tuna is supplied by the Western and Pacific Regions. Key players from around the world meet to discuss ways to sustain tuna populations for the future.

For the last five days Guam has played host to more than 500 key players from around the world participating in the 8th regular meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, a treaty-based organization established to conserve and manage tuna and other highly migratory fish stocks. According to Global Shark Conservation Pew Environment Group senior associate and WCPFC participant observer Angelo Villagomez, roughly 60% of the world's tuna supply comes from this part of the world. He said, "We need to be setting conservation measures that will ensure that we have tuna for generations because this is our resource, this is how we're going to ensure our sustainability in the long run."

While on Guam, the 25 nation participants discussed bans on certain fishing methods, including purse seine methods that often pick up more than fish, but sharks. Also up for discussion were proposals to protect two endangered shark species: the whale shark and the oceanic white tip shark. Villagomez applauds Guam for being of the world's first shark defenders.

"One year ago this month Governor Eddie Calvo signed the Shark Fin Bill here banning the trade, sell, and possession of shark fins, and Guam is only the third place in the world to ban the trade of shark fins," he explained. "And it really set off a lot of momentum around the world and really inspired a lot of people for shark conservation."

Alongside global environmental organizations like Greenpeace, Guam also took part as a participating territory. Guam's head of fisheries delegate Joseph Cameron says that although Guam may not harvest tuna, participating in such meetings is a foot in the door for a future industry in fisheries. "Guam is very interested in any and all opportunities that will unveil itself in the future if possible to having a fisheries industry, and to that we have to look at the federal government regulations to see how we can work through those areas," he said.

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