Revue FH - 10 February 2010
Unprotected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a good number of rays and sharks are facing extinction as a result of overexploitation by the leather industry, which uses the skins to make bags, jewellery and watch straps. A particular case in point is the cowtail stingray, fished in South- East Asia, because the pretty pearls on its back enhance the appeal of its leather.
The disappearance of certain species could moreover happen sooner than we think. Rays and sharks grow very slowly and have few offspring. The spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) for example becomes adult only at the age of ten and the female gives birth to only two young after a gestation period of almost two years.
In view of the urgency of the problem, marine biologist Monica Biondo has launched a campaign to protect rays and sharks used in the leather industry. She is calling on watch brands to no longer offer models with shagreen (leather) straps. Her website (www.galuchat.ch) also publishes a list of firms that have stopped using such leathers, or that have never used them (Swatch Group, Corum, Breitling, Aerowatch, Delma, Delance, Louis Moinet, etc). She is also inviting watch manufacturers to join in her fight and sign up to her list.
