Oceana/LX
Sharks and CITES
Shark populations worldwide continue to decline as a result of international trade. The demand for shark fins, meat, liver oil and other products is driving numerous shark populations to the brink of extinction. The IUCN Red List shows that nearly 20 percent of sharks and rays around the world are threatened with extinction. Due to their role as top predators, the loss of sharks from the ocean ecosystem can contribute to drastic and irreversible damage to our oceans.
Regulating the international trade of sharks is a key step in protecting these vulnerable species globally. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is an international agreement aimed at regulating the international trade of endangered species within sustainable levels. CITES operates by permit controls to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of plants and animals included in its three appendices.
Due to their depleted populations, driven by the pressures of international trade, porbeagle, spiny dogfish, oceanic whitetip and scalloped hammerhead sharks are proposed for inclusion in CITES Appendix II. Based on similarities in the appearance of their fins, dusky, sandbar, and great and smooth hammerhead sharks are proposed for inclusion along with the scalloped hammerhead. If the proposals are adopted, trade would only be allowed if the shark products from these species are accompanied by an export permit showing that it was caught in a legal and sustainably managed fishery.
All eight of the currently proposed species are under pressure because of the increased global trade of shark products, particularly fins. CITES has an important role to play in shark conservation, and indeed already provides protection for great white, basking and whale sharks, and the entire family of sawfishes.
Oceana believes that all eight of the currently proposed shark species meet the criteria for inclusion in CITES Appendix II and strongly recommends the adoption of these proposals.
oceana.org/cites oceana.org/cites The Species at a Glance Sharks Proposed for Inclusion in CITES Appendix II
Oceanic Whitetip Shark { Carcharhinus longimanus } Sponsored by Palau and the United States • The IUCN Red List categorizes oceanic whitetips as vulnerable globally. • An expert panel convened by the FAO concluded that available evidence supports the inclusion of oceanic whitetips in CITES Appendix II.1 • The greatest threats worldwide are bycatch and harvest for international fin trade.2 • The North Atlantic population has declined by an estimated 70 percent in the past 10 years.3 • Since the 1950s, populations of oceanic whitetips in the Gulf of Mexico have declined by more than 99 percent.4
Porbeagle Shark { Lamna nasus } Sponsored by Palau and the European Union Andy Murch • The IUCN Red List categorizes porbeagles as critically endangered in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean and endangered in the Northwest Atlantic. • An expert panel convened by the FAO concluded that available evidence supports the inclusion of porbeagles in CITES Appendix II.5 • Unsustainable target fisheries for porbeagles are driven by international demand for its highly valued meat.6 • In the Northwest Atlantic, porbeagle populations have declined more than 80 percent in recent decades.7
Spiny Dogfish { Squalus acanthias } Sponsored by Palau and the European Union Andy Murch • The IUCN Red List categorizes spiny dogfish, or “spurdogs,” as critically endangered in the Northeast Atlantic and endangered in the Mediterranean. • An expert panel convened by the FAO concluded that populations of spiny dogfish in the Mediterranean and the northeast Atlantic Ocean have declined to an extent that would qualify them for inclusion in CITES Appendix II.8 • International trade – primarily to satisfy the European market demand for spiny dogfish meat – is the main driver of unsustainable fishing around the world.9 • The biomass of spiny dogfish has decreased by more than 95 percent in the Northeast Atlantic.10
Scalloped Hammerheads { Sphyrna lewini } Sponsored by Palau and the United States
• The IUCN Red List categorizes scalloped hammerheads as endangered globally and Rob Stewart/Sharkwater vulnerable in the Eastern Central Atlantic and the Southwest Atlantic. • An expert panel convened by the FAO concluded that available evidence supports the inclusion of scalloped hammerheads in CITES Appendix II.11 • The greatest threats to this species are bycatch and harvest for international fin trade – both of which have contributed to declines of at least 15 to 20 percent from historic levels.12 • Stock assessments suggest an 83 percent decline from 1981 to 2005 in the Northwest Atlantic.13 • Surveys off the coast of the state of North Carolina report a scalloped hammerhead decline of 98 percent. Since sharks move through this area on their seasonal migrations, the trend may represent coast-wide declines.14
oceana.org/cites Based on similarities in the appearance of their fins, dusky, sandbar, and great and smooth hammerheads are proposed for inclusion in CITES Appendix II along with the scalloped hammerhead. While the primary reason for this action is to ensure smooth hammerhead fins are not traded under the name of another similar looking species, it would have the added benefit of providing protection to four shark species with depleted populations.
Smooth Hammerhead {Sphyrna zygaena} IUCN Red List Status: vulnerable. © Andy Murch
Great Hammerhead {Sphyrna mokarra} IUCN Red List Status: endangered © Andy Murch
Sandbar Shark {Carcharhinus plumbeus} IUCN Red List Status: vulnerable. Todd Stailey/TN Aquarium Todd
Dusky Shark {Carcharhinus obscurus} IUCN Red List Status: vulnerable. Peter Lamberti/SharkwaterPeter
What Is CITES?
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is an international agreement entered into force in 1975 to prevent species from becoming extinct as a result of international trade. Regulated through export and import permits, CITES applies to species whose populations may be threatened by international trade. There are approximately 5,000 species of animals and 28,000 species of plants included in the CITES three appendices. Proposals to include species in Appendices I and II are considered by the 175 CITES countries at a Conference of the Parties every two to three years. Within the last 30 years, no species that has been included in CITES has gone extinct, thus illustrating its ability to be successful.
Appendix I is the most stringent inclusion, banning commercial international trade for species who are most threatened with extinction.
Appendix II is for species that may become threatened with extinction if trade of the species is not strictly regulated. In addition, species that look similar in appearance to other species included in Appendix II may also be included. International commercial trade of included species requires an export permit.
Appendix III includes species that an individual Party has asked other parties to assist in the regulation of trade. Trade of the included species requires an export permit and a certificate of origin.
oceana.org/cites References
1 FAO (2010). Report of the third FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the Assessment of Proposals to Amend Appendices I and II of CITES Concerning Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species. Rome , 7–12 December 2009. FAO Fisheries Report. No. 925. Rome , FAO. 144 p. 2 Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. p.1. 3 Baum, J.K., et al. 2003. Collapse and conservation of shark populations in the Northwest Atlantic. Science 299: 389-392. 4 Baum, Julia K. and Ransom A. Myers. 2004. Shifting baselines and the decline of pelagic sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. Ecology Letters 7: 135-145. 5 FAO (2010). Report of the third FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the Assessment of Proposals to Amend Appendices I and II of CITES Concerning Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species. Rome , 7–12 December 2009. FAO Fisheries Report. No. 925. Rome , FAO. 144 p. 6 Lamna nasus Appendix II listing proposal. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 2009. p.1. 7 Stevens, J., Fowler, S.L., Soldo, A., McCord, M., Baum, J., Acuña, E., Domingo, A. and Francis, M. 2006. Lamna nasus. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.1.
About Oceana
Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Our teams of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life. Global in scope and dedicated to conservation, Oceana has campaigners based in North America, Europe and South and Central America. More than 300,000 members and e-activists in over 150 countries have already joined Oceana. For more information, please visit http://www.oceana.org.
North America Europe South America Central America Oceana Oceana Oceana Oceana 1350 Connecticut Ave., NW Plaza España Avenida General Bustamante No 24, #33 Cor. Regent and Dean Street 5th Floor Leganitos 47 Departamento 2C Belize City , Belize , C.A. Washington , D.C. 20036 USA 28013 Madrid , Spain 750-0776 Providencia, Santiago phone: + 501-227-2705 phone: +1 (202) 833-3900 phone: + 34 911 440 880 Republic of Chile fax: + 501-227-2706 fax: +1 (202) 833-2070 fax: + 34 911 440 890 phone: + 56-2-795-7140 email: [email protected] toll-free: 1-877-7-OCEANA or email: [email protected] fax: +56-2-795-7144 1-800-8-OCEAN-0 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] oceana.org/cites