Perhaps most exciting, countries that previously had no shark fisheries management regulations at all introduced strong conservation measures for the first time. \u201cThese results show that CITES has driven countries who catch and trade sharks internationally, and who previously had no national fisheries management or trade regulations, to implement legislation to remain CITES compliant,\u201d Mark Bond, a research assistant professor at Florida International University and the lead author of this study, told me via email. \u201cThe net effect has vastly increased the scale of shark and ray management globally, within a relatively short time frame. There is more work to be done but this is a very encouraging finding!\u201d<\/p>\n
These hard-won successes will help save many species of sharks from extinction, and this glimmer of hope is worth celebrating. CITES Appendix II protections work for species whose populations are healthy enough to withstand limited, well-managed trade. But for species hanging on by a thread, Appendix II is not enough, and even stronger protections \u2014 such as Appendix I, which bans all trade \u2014 is needed to save them from extinction.<\/p>\n
Another new research paper has made some troubling discoveries, supporting the need for Appendix I listings. Researchers visited shark fin markets in Hong Kong and used cutting-edge DNA forensics techniques to identify which species of sharks the fins for sale belonged to, and from what part of the world. If CITES Appendix II protections were working as planned, researchers expected to find two things.<\/p>\n
First, since Appendix II requires additional monitoring and documentation, the researchers expected to see the number of fins in shark fin markets match what had been reported to CITES databases. Instead, the research team found many, many more fins than had been reported to CITES. And even worse, some shark fins were traced to countries that had reported zero exports: 73 countries told CITES that they exported no fins at all, and this research data showed that some of them are not telling the truth \u2014 ignoring and undermining conservation rules. This indicates that trade in the fins of threatened species is happening illegally, with countries breaking the law and lying about it, and these dwindling sharks paying the price.<\/p>\n Indeed, despite some important success stories, unsustainable and illegal trade remains concerningly high: \u201cCITES functions effectively and has saved species from extinction in large part because of its effective compliance processes, which check on the sustainability and legality of ongoing trade,\u201d Luke Warwick, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society\u2019s shark and ray program, said by email. \u201cHowever, this paper\u2019s findings show that when the next CITES compliance cycle begins after this November\u2019s COP20, a significantly scaled up focus on shark and ray listing compliance is urgently needed to address the wide range of CITES parties who are clearly trading listed species illegally in huge quantities.\u201d<\/p>\n Second, for some species of particular conservation concern, the research team expected to see fewer fins available in markets after the CITES protections came into effect. That\u2019s because while an Appendix II listing does allow trade to continue, that trade requires some strict sustainability and documentation standards that some countries aren\u2019t yet in the position to meet. Those countries would have to improve their fisheries management practices before export was legal, and in the meantime, they should not be exporting fins. Yet the research team found that there was no decline in the number of fins traded for several species of conservation concern, and there\u2019s no way this could happen unless some countries are trading fins illegally.<\/p>\n This problem was particularly severe for oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus), which are showing up in the shark fin trade exactly as frequently as they did before CITES Appendix II protections came into effect. In fact, fins from oceanic whitetip sharks show up in markets 70 times more frequently than you\u2019d expect, based on what countries report they\u2019re exporting \u2014 clear evidence of illegal trade. Products from guitarfishes and wedgefishes (rays from the Rhinobatidae and Rhinidae families, respectively), the threatened relatives of sharks collectively called \u201crhino rays,\u201d also showed no decline in trade after CITES Appendix II protections.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of these species have been listed on CITES for almost a decade, so countries have had a lot of time for implementation, and yet non-compliance and illegal trade remains a serious problem,\u201d said Demian Chapman, a co-author on the new study and director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Florida. \u201cEighty percent of countries exporting fins to Hong Kong do not report any of fins from these species, which is a giant red flag for illegal trade,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt that Appendix II trade has helped protect many species of sharks and rays, as well as countless other beloved species of wildlife. While unsustainable overfishing is the greatest threat to sharks and rays, sustainable fisheries for these animals exist \u2014 though these primarily can be found in wealthy countries with well-resourced fisheries management regimes \u2014 and are a popular policy solution among scientists and conservationists. But for other species, and for countries without well-resourced fisheries management, populations have declined so dramatically, and illegal fishing is so rampant, that a total ban on all international trade, like a CITES Appendix I listing, is the only path forward.<\/p>\n \u201cFor some shark and ray species such as the oceanic whitetip or manta rays, sustainable fisheries aren\u2019t the answer \u2014 full protections at a national and regional level coupled to CITES Appendix I trade bans are the only means left to prevent their imminent extinction,\u201d Warwick from WCS told me. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen this work for other species, like green sea turtles, which have been brought back from the brink. Why shouldn\u2019t the world\u2019s most threatened sharks and rays be offered the same lifeline?\u2019<\/p>\n CITES Appendix II protections have been a lifeline for many threatened species of sharks and rays. But for especially endangered species like oceanic whitetip sharks and rhino rays, we need to go further. Appendix II isn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n Proposals at the upcoming CITES COP20 include transferring oceanic whitetip sharks from Appendix II to Appendix I, and providing similar protections for rhino rays. Governments meeting at COP20 in Uzbekistan should follow the science, support these proposals, and help save these sharks and rays from the brink of extinction. It\u2019s the only way to give these species a fighting chance at survival.<\/p>\n Dulvy, N. K., Pacoureau, N., Rigby, C. L., Pollom, R. A., Jabado, R. W., Ebert, D. A., \u2026 Simpfendorfer, C. A. (2021). Overfishing drives over one-third of all sharks and rays toward a global extinction crisis. Current Biology, 31(22), 5118-5119. doi:10.1016\/j.cub.2021.08.062<\/p>\n Bond, M. E., Booth, H., Tanna, A., Fowler, S. L., Polo-Silva, C. J., Shea, K. S., \u2026 Jabado, R. W. (2025). Trade regulations drive improved global shark and ray management. Marine Policy, 180, 106733. doi:10.1016\/j.marpol.2025.106733<\/p>\n Carde\u00f1osa, D., Babcock, E. A., Shea, S. K., Zhang, H., Feldheim, K. A., Yang, F., \u2026 Chapman, D. D. (2025). International trade regulations take a limited bite out of the shark fin trade. Science Advances, 11(45). doi:10.1126\/sciadv.adz2821<\/p>\n Simpfendorfer, C. A., & Dulvy, N. K. (2017). Bright spots of sustainable shark fishing. Current Biology, 27(3), R97-R98. doi:10.1016\/j.cub.2016.12.017<\/p>\n Shiffman, D. S., & Hammerschlag, N. (2016). Preferred conservation policies of shark researchers. Conservation Biology, 30(4), 805-815. doi:10.1111\/cobi.12668<\/p>\n Shiffman, D. S., Macdonald, C. C., Wallace, S. S., & Dulvy, N. K. (2021). The role and value of science in shark conservation advocacy. Scientific Reports, 11(1). doi:10.1038\/s41598-021-96020-4<\/p>\nCitations:<\/h2>\n