In 2013, the then Commissioner of Community Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, let a Spanish negotiator go: "Ah, but the shark is eaten?". And yes, sharks are eaten, he replied. Damanaki's surprise illustrates the lack of knowledge about the consumption of these cartilaginous fish. All this is happening while there are repeated reports warning about the precarious situation of some of the populations of this species.
The most important shark consumption in Spain is blue shark (more than 90% of the total) and sole (5%), while the caçó is part of the traditional Andalusian cuisine and the owl is eaten in the popular caldereta in the Valencian Community.
In smaller quantities, small sharks have also been marketed (green cat or catfish and the stingray), which are sold as catfish, although in reality they are not, since catfish fishing has practically left it of extinction
In recent years, the presence of blue shark and thresher shark has become relatively common in the frozen sections of supermarkets and large distribution brands, where it appears sliced with an appearance similar to that of the emperor. Tintorera meat is also sold in frozen preparations (noodles...) and other products, and is served on menus in restaurants. Tintorera is also marketed as shark, which creates some confusion for the consumer. All this consumption is more rooted in Andalusia and the Valencian regions.
The fact that the tintorera is a white, spineless and cheap fish explains its success in the market. In addition, "it has a high content of vitamins, it is good for the defenses, it is good for those with delicate stomachs, and children love it", explains Javier Garat, secretary general of the Spanish Fishing Confederation ( Cepesca ), who speaks highly of this fish.
The consumption of fresh blue shark in Spain is estimated at 1,500 tonnes, while the total catches of the Spanish fleet add up to around 40,000 t (plus around 2,000 t of catfish), according to Cepesca. These sharks have become commercial species as a result of the regulations that other species have experienced, explains Àlex Bartolí, biologist and fisheries consultant. "Before, sharks were caught by accident. But restrictions on tuna or emperor fish meant that the sector supplemented catches by taking sharks. It turned out that fishing them was quite profitable. And they started to catch sharks in a targeted way, and not as something accidental", Bartolí points out.
As other stocks have been overexploited, such as tuna or swordfish, fishing has been directed towards this species, says Oceana's Ricardo Aguilar.
Shark catches generally enter the port of Vigo, the main point of access for this shark to the EU. On land, the fish is processed and from there distributed to Andalusia, Europe, South America (especially Brazil) and China.
"The most risky element is that sharks have very low reproduction rates compared to other fish," adds Bartolí.
Tintorera ( Prionace glauca ) is considered an abundant and resistant species, but it represents 60% of reported shark catches. The growing trade in meat and fins raises fears that it will continue on the same path as the thresher shark or the hammerhead shark, whose populations have fallen by 90%.
In 2019, 189,783 tonnes of bluefin tuna were legally caught and landed worldwide in 2019, about seven million specimens, according to an Oceana report with data from FAO and regional fisheries bodies. "The real trade of this species is much higher than that reported by the fishing states; the decline of this population is greater than the catches should reflect", says Ricardo Aguilar. All this means a flow of 411 million dollars a year: the dyer contributes 41% of the trade in shark fins and 36% of the world trade in shark meat.
"If in the statistics we appear as the country that fishes the most, it is because since the nineties we have been collaborating intensively with the Administration reporting data; on the other hand, other countries, such as those in Asia or Latin America, barely declare anything. Let the righteous pay for sinners!", replies Javier Garet. The general secretary of the employers' association Cepesca states that "the dyer is in good condition all over the world", although he accepts that catches should be regulated to avoid over-exploitation.
In fact, some measures have already had to be taken to protect sharks. Shark fishing is subject to a two-year moratorium in the North Atlantic (which ends at the end of 2023), as agreed by the body that manages tuna and similar fisheries (Iccat). In addition, this same regional fishing organization has set some limits on the fishing for bluefin tuna in the Atlantic. All this does not prevent these two species from being caught in other seas (Pacific or Indian), where there is no regulation to protect them, according to Oceana's demands.
For years, Iccat did not set fishing quotas for sharks (because it was not a fishing target species), and when it finally did it was too late.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) points out that sharks are in decline; and globally describes the situation of the dyer as "almost threatened", while in the Mediterranean it is "critically endangered".
The measures to set fishing quotas and limits have been surrounded by controversies and disagreements between associations of fishing employers and environmental groups, and these discrepancies have had to do with the need or not to regulate this trade.
In this sense, the last big bump occurred in November, when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) included the dyer in Appendix II of this convention. This means that to commercialize (import and export) this fishery you need a Cites certificate, which must be granted by the scientific authority of this body (in Spain, the Ministry for Ecological Transition).
Cepesca predicts that when this rule comes into force at the end of the year, "brutal bureaucratic administrative chaos will be accentuated, with high economic costs for the sector". Garet refers to the problems already caused by the supervision of Cites in the marraix trade. In March 2021, Cites prohibited the landing of 90 tons of halibut in Galician ports and invoked the precarious state of conservation of this species, while shipowners had a fishing quota to catch it, granted by the regulatory body of fishing (Iccat). It is quite an example of the fights and complications that are involved in the regulation of the trade in sharks and, ultimately, to stop eating them.
On the other hand, as a result of environmental pressure, the EU banned finning, a practice that involves removing the fins and throwing the body overboard (a lucrative trade that serves to meet the demand for Chinese cuisine). With this measure, the sharks must arrive at the port with their fins attached to their bodies. The flapping was banned in Europe (with a ban considered "unjustified" by Cepesca, since the body was also taken advantage of). "We were told that finning would also be prohibited in the other seas, and that has not been the case. Europe and a few other countries are the only ones where flapping is prohibited. We need the rules to be the same for everyone", laments Garet.
