Article 12 Conservation and management of sharks
United Kingdom
Member States shall report all catches of sharks, including available historical data, in accordance with the catch and fishing effort reporting procedures set out in Article 25.
For all observed hauls that contain Greenland shark, observers shall record the number, estimated weight and measured length (estimated length if measured length is not possible) per haul or set, the sex, and catch disposition (alive, dead or unknown) of each individual Greenland shark.
It shall be prohibited to:
remove shark fins on board vessels;
retain on board, tranship or land shark fins fully detached from a carcass.
Without prejudice to paragraph 1, in order to facilitate on-board storage, shark fins may be partially sliced through and folded against the carcass.
No fishing vessel shall retain on board, tranship or land any fins harvested in contravention of this Article.
In fisheries that are not directed at sharks, each Member State shall encourage every vessel flying its flag to release sharks alive, and especially juveniles, that are not intended for use as food or subsistence.
Member States shall, where possible:
undertake research to identify ways to make fishing gear more selective for the protection of sharks;
conduct research on key biological and ecological parameters, life-history, behavioural traits and migration patterns, as well as on the identification of potential mapping, pupping and nursery grounds of key shark species.
Member States shall provide the results of such research to the Commission, for transmission to the NAFO Executive Secretary.