In what marine conservationists hailed as a landmark decision, parties to the 186-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or Cites, voted to limit or regulate the commercial trade of 54 species of requiem sharks. including tiger, bull and blue sharks which are the most targeted for the fin trade. Six small species of hammerhead sharks were also listed for protection along with 37 types of guitarfish, which are shark rays. Collectively, the three proposals would bring nearly all shark species traded internationally for their fins under CITES oversight and control, up from just 25% before CITES CoP19. The proposal put forward by Panama, the host country, and supported by 40 others, including EU countries and the UK, would offer protection to sharks which make up two-thirds of the species targeted by the fin market. It will require countries to ensure legality and sustainability before approving exports of these species. Most requiem sharks are threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. “Now, finally, the deeply unsustainable shark fin trade will be fully regulated,” said Luke Warwick, director of shark and ray conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society. “These two families make up far more than half the shark fins traded annually in a half-billion-dollar trade,” Warwick said. The new protection measures will give them a chance to recover and “will forever change the way the world’s ocean predators are managed and protected,” he added. Studies show that 37% of shark and ray species face extinction and ocean, or pelagic sharks have declined by more than 70% in just 50 years. Scientists say these declines are a direct result of overfishing and uncontrolled international trade, stemming from a lack of national and international management. The proposal did not pass without objection. Japan tabled an amendment to remove the 35 shark species that were not endangered or critically endangered from the original proposal, while Peru called for the removal of the blue shark. Both amendments failed to achieve the necessary votes and after two hours of debate the original proposal was approved without change. All Cites decisions are binding on the contracting states who will have one year to adjust their regulations regarding the fishing of these sharks. “Requiem sharks are some of the most marketable but least protected species,” said Diego Jiménez, director of conservation policy at the non-profit SeaLegacy. Almost 70% of the requiem shark family is already endangered. Family-level registration will help customs and border control officials with enforcement, Jiménez said, since almost every shipment of shark fins would require the proper permit or Cites certificate. It could be a gamechanger, shifting the percentage of fin trade handled by Cites from 25% to 70%, he said. But critics, including marine biologists, say the Cites list could have the opposite effect, raising the hidden market price for fins and meat and increasing illegal shark fishing. In 2021, fin imports from Ecuador to Peru – the top fin exporter to the Americas – reached double pre-pandemic levels, according to research by Oceana Peru. Of the 300 tonnes of dried fins that came from Ecuador, more than 160 tonnes came from a Cites-listed species, the endangered pelagic thresher shark, which is targeted for its extremely long fins. “These levels of trade occur despite the fact that this is a species whose international trade is regulated by Cites,” said Alicia Kuroiwa, director of habitats and endangered species at Oceana Peru. This case, along with other irregularities in shark fin exports from Peru to Hong Kong, has been brought to the attention of the Cites standing committee for “further investigation and recommendations to the two countries,” Kuroiwa said. A violation of Cites regulations could be punished by “temporary closure of trade of all species included in the Cites list, which would be very serious for Peru,” he added.
