Fishermen to help catch data on British sharks Fishermen are to be given training to identify shark species in a collaboration designed to help efforts to protect the threatened fish. The co-operative scheme run by the Shark Trust and the commercial fishing industry aims to improve the recording of species that are caught by fleets, to boost knowledge of individual shark populations. It is hoped the project will provide data to help manage shark stocks sustainably, as more than half of British shark species are threatened with extinction. Globally, up to 73 million sharks are killed each year for their fins. However, the number caught by fishing fleets is higher as many are caught accidentally by vessels catching other fish. The numbers of sharks, skates and rays, which are slow-growing and slow to reproduce, have declined significantly since commercial fishing began, conservationists said. The scheme, focusing on ports in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Humberside and Cumbria, will train fishermen to identify and record species such as the small-spotted catshark, the starry smoothhound shark and the cuckoo ray. The fishermen will be supplied with materials such as at-sea identification guides. Chris Shearlock, sustainable development manager at the co-operative, said: "We know shark populations in British waters have declined dramatically in recent years, but, as little importance has traditionally been given to shark stocks compared to more commercial species, detailed information for individual species is hard to ascertain. We are providing species identification training with a range of support materials. Ali Hood, director of conservation at the Shark Trust, said there was a rich diversity of shark, skate and ray species in the North and Irish seas, many of which had experienced significant population declines in recent decades. Judith Clarke, chairwoman of the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, which regulates inshore sea fisheries in its region and is involved in the scheme, said: "Understanding of the shark, skate and ray populations in the Irish Sea is currently insufficient to implement appropriate management measures to protect these species. This collaboration with local fishermen to increase knowledge of our fisheries is very welcome.