At Least 16 Species of Endangered or Threatened Sharks in Mexico Prensa Latina
go to original September 13, 2012

Sharks have a reputation as killers but they are also hunted. Here's our Planet 100 list of top 5 Endangered Sharks. (Planet Green)

Sixteen shark species of Mexico are now endangered or threatened according to assessment of the Shark Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

When they analyzed the status of shark populations in the regions of North America, Central America and the Caribbean, the IUCN found that 23 families of these fish have decrease and conglomerate problems of which 16 are from species living in Mexican waters.

According to the study, the common hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) and the giant hammerhead one (Sphyrna mokarran) are classified as endangered, while others like the whale, basking, white, mako, white tips, dark sharks, among others are considered as threatened.

Overfishing, bycatch, and illegal destruction of coastal habitats such as mangroves that serve as feeding and breeding grounds for sharks are the main causes of the problem, the agency warned.

Due to this scenario, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture had decreed for the first time in June 2012, a temporary ban on shark fishing for three months.

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