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Paris, France (AHN) – More than 1 million migratory sharks were caught in 2008, possibly necessitating international catch limits and fishing restrictions, according to a report issued Monday.

Of the 21 species found in the Atlantic, three-quarters are classified as threatened with extinction, the report by advocacy group Oceana said. More than 1.3 million are caught every year in the Atlantic by industrial-scale fisheries from other countries.

The Oceana figures were released negotiators from four dozen countries began meeting in Paris to consider fishing restrictions for a range of marine species that travel in the Atlantic, including sharks, bluefin tuna and sea turtles. The gathering, known as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), ends Saturday.

Some 72 shark species are defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as “highly migratory,” consequently falling under the jurisdiction of the tuna commission.

ICCAT officials have for years avoided placing severe restrictions on a range of species as some are highly prized as food in Japan. Japan in particular has been resistant to any move to establish fishing restrictions in the Atlantic, particularly over four threatened shark species. Monday, however, Japan called on all nations to support a ban on fishing the oceanic white tip shark.

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