The Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) has established fishing guidelines that aim to drastically reduce waste and discards of short-tailed river stingray (Potamotrygon brachyura) and sharks owing to the delicate state of these species in national waters.
The measures adopted are aligned with the International Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks), set forth by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Said Plan details the principles, legal framework, objectives and application procedures for the conservation and management of the resource.
Resolution 13/09 of the CFP, published in the Official Bulletin, prohibits the finning of sharks, a practice that consists of removing the fins - of high market value - and the subsequent discarding of the body.
In addition, it bans the use of bicheros or boat-hooks used in ray discarding manoeuvres, and puts forth the obligation of returning live sharks of more than 160 centimetres in length to sea.