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CITES protection sought for sharks
9 December 2009
Eight shark species have been put forward for international protection through controlled fishing.
The proposals have come from the EU, for the porbeagle and spiny dogfish; and from the USA for the oceanic whitetip, dusky, sandbar and three hammerhead sharks – the great, scalloped and smooth.
It is proposed that the sharks be added to Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in order to protect them from over-fishing for a lucrative global trade in shark products, mainly fins.
Under Appendix II, trade in the sharks would be limited to what are judged to be sustainable levels, through the requirement of export permits whose stipulated limits fisheries would need to heed.
The proposals will be considered at a Conference of the Parties meeting in Doha, Qatar next March.
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