Good environmental governance: overcoming fragmentation in international law for shark conservation and management

Despite the rapid proliferation of international environmental law over the last thirty years, many species continue to deteriorate in numbers. The global regimes for the protection and management of sharks illustrate how fragmentation and disharmony in international law can be damaging. Sharks perform a critical role in the ocean environment, consuming dead and weaker members of other species. Sharks are targeted by fishers and taken as bycatch, as well as being threatened by habitat loss.' They are particularly vulnerable to overexploitation because they mature late, have few young, and are long-lived. Nearly a quarter of all shark species are considered to be at risk, while the status of others is unknown. 3 While the science is still emerging, it is apparent that diminishing shark numbers may have repercussions not only for their own survival, but also for entire marine ecosystems.4 This paper explores the international regime, the tensions between the resource utilization and environmental conservation laws relating to shark conservation and management, and outlines some recommendations for the future.