Monterrey, NL. Given the 71 percent decline in the population of sharks and rays worldwide, starting in 1970, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), PhD in Marine Biology, Nadia Rubio Cisneros, conducts scientific research in Mexico for the conservation of coastal habitats and their biodiversity.
Through the association Mar Sustentable Ciencia y Conservación, created by the graduate of the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, she studies coastal exploitation, as well as the changes that occur in ecosystems due to anthropogenic actions, that is, derived of human action.
Documents the World Wide Fund for Nature, that world populations of sharks and rays have decreased by 71 percent since 1970, where currently, 36 percent of the thousand 200 species of these specimens are in danger of extinction.
It should be noted that Mexico is among the 20 countries with the highest shark catches worldwide.
90 percent of the production is destined for national consumption, in which the meat, skin, and entrails are used, while the fins are successful in the international market.
Our country is also the second largest exporter of shark meat in America. We are the sixth largest exporter of shark meat in the world, according to the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Conabio).
Taking the above figures into account, it is estimated that 100 million sharks and rays are killed annually by overfishing and bycatch worldwide.
Given this panorama, the UANL graduate, Nadia Rubio, through her association, “Three years ago I founded Mar Sustentable Ciencia y Conservación, a non-profit association with which I carry out scientific projects with international foundations, some in collaboration with the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the UANL.
He explains, “our group, made up of 20 scientists from Mexico, the United States, and Canada, specializes in studying coastal exploitation and how the area near the coasts has changed over time, as well as the changes that occur in ecosystems. by anthropogenic actions. We focus for the most part on coastal exploitation and artisanal fishing”.
Sustainable Sea Science and Conservation currently has the collaboration of archaeologists, geologists, geographers and biologists who develop interdisciplinary scientific production for marine conservation.
For the elaboration of its projects, the association obtains financing from countries such as England, Switzerland and the United States.
Nadia Rubio Cisneros, a doctor in marine biology from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, details that when talking about coastal exploitation, she refers to everything that humans have transformed, such as the change that the coasts present through the extraction of coastal resources. , where species that used to be abundant today have diminished or no longer exist, as well as the change of landscapes over time.
His most recent research projects have been carried out on Isla Holbox, Isla Mujeres and Isla Cozumel, in the Mexican Caribbean.
“Based on studies that we have carried out, we documented around 90 species of fish that in the past were abundant and are no longer so, but what caught our attention the most was the impact on sharks, because they are having problems of overexploitation not only in Mexico, but throughout the world,” said Nadia Rubio.
The specialist in marine ecology Nadia Rubio specifies that in the Mexican Caribbean islands where she has carried out research, large sharks, such as the tiger, hammerhead and bull sharks, have experienced overexploitation in recent years, causing a decrease in these specimens in coastal habitats.
“Mexico is among the countries with the greatest abundance of sharks after Australia. The country has 214 species and in the Caribbean there are 85 specimens of sharks and rays, ”he explained.
The also marine biologist from the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur points out that one of the challenges that must be faced to prevent shark species or others that are at risk of continuing to decrease their populations is to allocate a greater budget to apply the laws that protect and conserve these animals and their habitat.
While, on the other hand, another challenge is to continue working on the integration of society towards the issues of biodiversity protection, awareness and actions to protect the various marine species.
“People are certainly participating towards this change in favor of conservation and I see it in the volunteers, people who are not scientists and help in the community science part, joining projects or talks to learn about the subject. In addition, parents take their children to our educational workshops focused on shark conservation.”
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement concluded by the governments of 184 countries, until 2022.
Its purpose is to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not constitute a threat to their survival. It is mandatory. Mexico is part of CITES since 1991.
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