SANBI IDentifyIt - Species Great White Shark - Carcharodon carcharius Family Lamnidae CITES Listing Appendix II Other names Geographic location / distribution Great Whites are mostly amphitemperate species - meaning that they occur in temperate waters in both hemispheres but not in the tropics. They are found in the coastal and offshore regions of continental shelves and islands, and in the open ocean. White sharks range from the sea surface to 1000meter depths, but are usually found in the top 250m. There is a population off the coast of South Africa, and are seen in the Atlantic in areas including False Bay, around Seal Island; on the south coast (Gansbaai area) and in the Indian Ocean. Fishery No direct fishery targeting Great White Sharks exists in South Africa, although they are occasionally targeted by game fishers. South Africa prohibits the killing of white sharks and has outlawed the sale of any of their parts. Globally, they are targeted for their teeth, jaws and fins which are traded internationally, although this species is not abundant enough in any region to support a fishery. They are sometime caught as bycatch in fisheries abroad. In the Atlantic, white sharks are a prohibited species and if a white shark is caught, it must released with a minimum of injury and without taking the animal out of the water. In the Pacific, California state regulations prohibit the taking of white shark. Fisheries management Conservation status: In South Africa, Great Whites are endangered and protected. South Africa prohibits the killing of white sharks and has outlawed the sale of any of their parts. They are also listed in Appendix I and II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and Appendix II of the International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This means that Great Whites are a migratory species that may not necessarily be threatened with extinction now, but may become so unless trade throughout their is closely controlled. International collaboration is required to ensure that trade does not result in their endangerment and/or extinction. They are also listed a Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as they breed very slowly, form localised populations and are threatened by degradation of breeding habitat and by commercial and sport fishing. Maturity and Sizes White sharks reach a maximum total length at least 640 and possibly to over 800 cm. Individuals captured are more commonly between 140 and 600 cm. Other similar species Carcharhinus brachyurus - Bronze Whaler Isurus oxyrinchus - Shortfin Mako Shark Prionace glauca - Blue Shark MLRA References NOAA Fisheries Fact Sheets: FAO fact sheet on Great White Sharks: http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2799/en CITES: http://www.cites.org/ Convention on Migratory Species : http://www.cms.int/documents/appendix/cms_app1_2.htm Great White Shark Photo: Wikimedia Commons Photo: Brocken Inaglory Photo: Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org Great White Shark. Photo: Fallows C, Gallagher AJ, Hammerschlag N (2013) Photo: Terry Goss Photo: Terry Goss Great White Shark Identification Copyright/Website: TRAFFIC General Shark Identification Copyright/Website: TRAFFIC Shark Trade Products Copyright/Website: TRAFFIC Distribution of Great White Sharks Credit: www.cometcorp.org Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved..