THE SHARK AND RAY MEAT NETWORK A DEEP DIVE INTO A GLOBAL AFFAIR 2021 Editor Evan Jeffries (Swim2birds) Communications Stefania Campogianni (WWF MMI), Magdalena Nieduzak (WWF-Int) Layout Bianco Tangerine Authors Simone Niedermüller (WWF MMI), Gill Ainsworth (University of Santiago de Compostela), Silvia de Juan (Institute of Marine Sciences ICM (CSIC)), Raul Garcia (WWF Spain), Andrés Ospina-Alvarez (Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies IMEDEA (UIB- CSIC)), Pablo Pita (University of Santiago de Compostela), Sebastián Villasante (University of Santiago de Compostela) Acknowledgements Serena Adam (WWF-Malaysia), Amierah Amer (WWF-Malaysia), Monica Barone, Andy Cornish (WWF-Int), Marco Costantini (WWF MMI), Chitra Devi (WWF-Malaysia), Giuseppe di Carlo (WWF MMI), Caio Faro (WWF Brazil), Chester Gan (WWF-Singapore), Ioannis Giovos (iSea), Pablo Guerrero (WWF-Ecuador), Théa Jacob (WWF-France), Shaleyla Kelez (WWF-Peru), Patrik Krstinić (WWF-Adria), Giulia Prato (WWF-Italy), Rita Sayoun (WWF-France), Umair Shahid (WWF-Pakistan), Vilisoni Tarabe (WWF-Pacific), Jose Luis Varas (WWF-Spain), Eduardo Videira (WWF-Mozambique), Ranny R. Yuneni (WWF-Indonesia), Heike Zidowitz (WWF-Germany). Special acknowledgments to contribution of Glenn Sant (TRAFFIC). Special acknowledgements go to WWF-Spain for funding the scientific part of this report. For contact details and further information, please visit our website at wwfmmi.org Cover photo: © Monica Barone / WWF Safesharks Back cover photo: © Matthieu Lapinski / Ailerons WWF 2021 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 SHARKS AND RAYS IN CRISIS 6 THE OVERALL TRADE VALUE 7 GLOBAL NETWORK ANALYSIS 8 SHARK MEAT TRADE 10 RAY MEAT TRADE 18 THE ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE SHARK AND RAY TRADE 26 A GLOBAL SELECTION OF DISHES WITH SHARK AND RAY MEAT 28 RECOMMENDATIONS 30 © Nuno Queirós (APECE) / WWF 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SHARKS AND RAYS ARE IN CRISIS GLOBALLY Up to 100 million are killed each year, and some populations have declined by more than 95% as a result of overfishing. -95% Today, 36% of the more than 1,200 known shark and ray species OF SOME SHARK are threatened with extinction. POPULATIONS © Simone Niedermueller / WWF WWF 2021 OF THE MORE THAN 1,200 KNOWN 36% SHARK AND RAY SPECIES ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION The decline of sharks and rays is a contributing factor to the Spain dominated the highly complex global trade in fresh essential role as intermediaries, providing useful information deterioration of our ocean, and symptomatic of much wider and frozen shark meat, appearing in the top three traders on how and where best to focus international efforts to marine overexploitation. In order to deal with the situation by value, volume, and number of trading partners. In the reverse the decline of shark and ray populations. It has also before it’s too late, we need a much better understanding of last decade, the trade routes where the largest volumes exposed a need for far more detailed international trade data. the opaque and complex global trade of their products. of shark meat moved have been from Uruguay to Brazil; from Portugal to Spain; from Spain to Italy, Portugal and Leading national players in the global trade must step WWF contracted a team of scientists to develop the first Brazil; and from Ecuador to Peru. Nevertheless, the most up as global champions for conservation and sustainable ever analysis of the global shark and ray trade network important trade bridges for shark meat network stability fishing, adopting precautionary measures and science-based using graph theory, to give as clear a picture as possible of have been between Japan, Portugal, the UK and Spain , management. Extra resources should be devoted to controls the key players, relationships and networks properties that Japan and Panama, and China and Japan. The EU has and surveillance. drive flows in this niche but highly traded seafood product. established itself as the main supplier to Southeast and East Internationally, far more detailed trade and tariff codes Asian markets, its own exports and imports accounting for Even though fins are generally much more expensive than are required, in particular for ray meat. Species-specific about 22% of the total global shark meat trade. meat and the global fin trade has received far more attention reporting must become the norm globally, including for to date, global trade in shark and ray meat is actually The global trade network for ray meat is less diversified than bycatch, so populations can be effectively managed. larger than trade in fins by both volume and by value. The for shark meat, with trade between Argentina as an exporter Transparency and traceability are needed from point of total value of shark and ray trade in the period 2012-2019 and South Korea as an importer dominating the market. capture through every stage of the supply chain, to ensure the exceeds US$4.1 billion. The value of shark and ray meat The US and Brazil are also important suppliers to the South trade remains legal and manageable, to keep protected species combined (US$2.6 billion) exceeds the value of shark fins Korean market. South Korea’s exports to the USA, although off the market, and to allow consumers to make informed (US$1.5 billion). Prices can range from US$0.1/kg for meat not large, are important for the structure of the network; purchases. Where food security does not depend on shark to more than US$100/kg for fins. Of the top traders Italy while several of the most important bridging traders for and ray products, consumers should avoid buying or eating pays on average the highest price for imports of shark meat network stability come from within the EU. at US$4/kg, while Hong Kong pays the highest price for fins such products unless they are from sustainable and traceable at US$30/kg. This analysis has identified not only major importers and sources. Consumers should be aware that currently very few exporters of shark and ray meat but also traders playing an products available in the market meet these requirements. 5 SHARKS AND RAYS IN CRISIS Sharks and rays are in crisis globally. Up to 100 million are © Wild Wonders of Europe / Staffan Widstrand / WWF killed each year in fisheries of all kinds,1 and some populations 2 have declined by more than 95% as a result of overfishing. Overfishing due to a lack of regulation and/or proper continued unabated due to the continued increase in trade management measures for targeted and non-targeted (Davidson et al. 2016). Currently 14 species of shark and catches is the biggest threat for shark and ray species.3 A 29 species of ray are listed on CITES Appendices I and II, lack of proper reporting of catches and landings not only which states that their trade should be forbidden or closely hinders effective fisheries management but also opens controlled. the door to illegal activities. The lack of sustainability and traceability of shark and ray products (meat and fins) in Why does this matter? The decline of sharks and rays is a international trade obscures the data and further hinders contributing factor to the deterioration of our ocean, and 7 measures urgently needed for fisheries and trade to symptomatic of much wider marine overexploitation. As become sustainable. Trade analysis can therefore provide top predators, these animals have existed for more than 400 8 meaningful information to complement available fisheries million years and play essential roles in marine ecosystems, 4 from maintaining balanced food webs and habitats, to data, and shed light on the drivers of overexploitation. 1 controlling population sizes, and helping nutrient exchange Worm et al. 2013 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2012.12.034 2 At the time of writing, 36% of the more than 1,200 known through the ocean layers. Their role in carbon capture and Dulvy et al 2014 https://elifesciences.org/articles/00590, Tremblay-Boyer et.al. 2018 https://www.wcpfc.int/node/42932 shark and ray species are threatened with extinction.5 storage – when they die of natural causes, their carcasses 3 Dulvy et al 2014 https://elifesciences.org/articles/00590 The global community recognized the seriousness of the sink to the ocean floor and take their carbon with them – 4 e.g. Dent and Clark 2015 http://www.fao.org/3/i4795e/i4795e.pdf. Okes situation 20 years ago, with the release of the UN FAO is also increasingly acknowledged as a factor to mitigate and Sant 2019 https://www.traffic.org/publications/reports/an-overview-of- International Plan of Action for Sharks (IPOA) based on a climate change.9 major-shark-and-ray-catchers-traders-and-species/ resolution from CITES6 (Convention on International Trade 5 https://www.iucnredlist.org/ in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The aim But to fill their vital and varied ecological niches and 6 https://cites.org/sites/default/files/document/E-Res-12-06-R18.pdf of this voluntary international agreement was to ensure contribute to ocean health, shark and ray populations need 7 Dulvy et al. 2017 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ the conservation and management of sharks and rays and conservation and management of their fisheries and trade S0960982217304827 8 their long-term sustainable use. However, 20 years later – and in order for that to happen, we need a much better Kriwet et al 2008 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.1170 9 the plan has made little impact in reversing trends in most understanding of the opaque and complex global trade of Mariani et al. 2020 https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/44/ eabb4848.abstract shark-fishing actors, and population declines have largely their products. WWF 2021 THE OVERALL TRADE VALUE Even though fins are generally much more expensive than meat and the global fin trade 2012-2019 has received far more attention to date, global trade in shark and ray meat is actually larger $ 4.1 than trade in fins by both volume and by value.