Nov 25, 2022
Conservation advocates applauded Friday following a vote at the 19th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Panama, at which delegates from 183 countries and the European Union voted for sweeping protections for shark species.
"This landmark vote marks the culmination of a decade of shark conservation progress within CITES."
The resolution will greatly reduce the fishing industry's ability to contribute to the shark fin trade. About $500 million worth of fins are sold each year to produce shark fin soup--a delicacy popular in wealthy households in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan--with just over two pounds selling for $1,000.
The 19th Conference of the Parties of CITES voted to protect 54 more shark species, including tiger, bull, and blue sharks--some of the most targeted species for the fin trade. Six hammerhead shark species will also be protected.
The species will now be listed in the CITES Appendix II, barring trade unless it is tightly regulated and sustainable. The listing is for species that are not yet threatened with extinction but which could rapidly become more endangered without strong controls.
Louis Aguirre, a Florida-based journalist focused on environmental issues, hailed the "strongest protections ever for sharks."
\u201cAMAZING NEWS FROM #CITESCoP19 shark and ray proposals just finalized in plenary. Requiem sharks, hammerhead sharks, guitarfishes and some freshwater stingrays now protected from and fall under @CITES jurisdiction. Strongest protections ever for sharks! #CITES4Sharks\u201d— Louis Aguirre (@Louis Aguirre) 1669391832
Shirley Binder, Panamanian delegate to the conference, told Agence France Presse that up to 90% of sharks in the fin market will now be protected.
"This landmark vote marks the culmination of a decade of shark conservation progress within CITES," said Luke Warwick, director of shark and ray conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society, in a statement. "Now, finally, the deeply unsustainable shark fin trade will be fully regulated."
The vote signified that members of CITES "are beginning to grasp the scale of the challenge required to confront the crisis facing the natural world," said Matthew Collis, deputy vice president for conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
"Over a million species are at risk of extinction if we do not change the way we treat wildlife," said Collis. "Overexploitation of species, including through international trade, is a key contributing factor to the decline of many species."
At the two-week summit, CITES member countries also voted for new protections for the guitarfish ray, glass frogs, crocodiles, and some turtle species.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Conservation advocates applauded Friday following a vote at the 19th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Panama, at which delegates from 183 countries and the European Union voted for sweeping protections for shark species.
"This landmark vote marks the culmination of a decade of shark conservation progress within CITES."
The resolution will greatly reduce the fishing industry's ability to contribute to the shark fin trade. About $500 million worth of fins are sold each year to produce shark fin soup--a delicacy popular in wealthy households in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan--with just over two pounds selling for $1,000.
The 19th Conference of the Parties of CITES voted to protect 54 more shark species, including tiger, bull, and blue sharks--some of the most targeted species for the fin trade. Six hammerhead shark species will also be protected.
The species will now be listed in the CITES Appendix II, barring trade unless it is tightly regulated and sustainable. The listing is for species that are not yet threatened with extinction but which could rapidly become more endangered without strong controls.
Louis Aguirre, a Florida-based journalist focused on environmental issues, hailed the "strongest protections ever for sharks."
\u201cAMAZING NEWS FROM #CITESCoP19 shark and ray proposals just finalized in plenary. Requiem sharks, hammerhead sharks, guitarfishes and some freshwater stingrays now protected from and fall under @CITES jurisdiction. Strongest protections ever for sharks! #CITES4Sharks\u201d— Louis Aguirre (@Louis Aguirre) 1669391832
Shirley Binder, Panamanian delegate to the conference, told Agence France Presse that up to 90% of sharks in the fin market will now be protected.
"This landmark vote marks the culmination of a decade of shark conservation progress within CITES," said Luke Warwick, director of shark and ray conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society, in a statement. "Now, finally, the deeply unsustainable shark fin trade will be fully regulated."
The vote signified that members of CITES "are beginning to grasp the scale of the challenge required to confront the crisis facing the natural world," said Matthew Collis, deputy vice president for conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
"Over a million species are at risk of extinction if we do not change the way we treat wildlife," said Collis. "Overexploitation of species, including through international trade, is a key contributing factor to the decline of many species."
At the two-week summit, CITES member countries also voted for new protections for the guitarfish ray, glass frogs, crocodiles, and some turtle species.
Conservation advocates applauded Friday following a vote at the 19th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Panama, at which delegates from 183 countries and the European Union voted for sweeping protections for shark species.
"This landmark vote marks the culmination of a decade of shark conservation progress within CITES."
The resolution will greatly reduce the fishing industry's ability to contribute to the shark fin trade. About $500 million worth of fins are sold each year to produce shark fin soup--a delicacy popular in wealthy households in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan--with just over two pounds selling for $1,000.
The 19th Conference of the Parties of CITES voted to protect 54 more shark species, including tiger, bull, and blue sharks--some of the most targeted species for the fin trade. Six hammerhead shark species will also be protected.
The species will now be listed in the CITES Appendix II, barring trade unless it is tightly regulated and sustainable. The listing is for species that are not yet threatened with extinction but which could rapidly become more endangered without strong controls.
Louis Aguirre, a Florida-based journalist focused on environmental issues, hailed the "strongest protections ever for sharks."
\u201cAMAZING NEWS FROM #CITESCoP19 shark and ray proposals just finalized in plenary. Requiem sharks, hammerhead sharks, guitarfishes and some freshwater stingrays now protected from and fall under @CITES jurisdiction. Strongest protections ever for sharks! #CITES4Sharks\u201d— Louis Aguirre (@Louis Aguirre) 1669391832
Shirley Binder, Panamanian delegate to the conference, told Agence France Presse that up to 90% of sharks in the fin market will now be protected.
"This landmark vote marks the culmination of a decade of shark conservation progress within CITES," said Luke Warwick, director of shark and ray conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society, in a statement. "Now, finally, the deeply unsustainable shark fin trade will be fully regulated."
The vote signified that members of CITES "are beginning to grasp the scale of the challenge required to confront the crisis facing the natural world," said Matthew Collis, deputy vice president for conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
"Over a million species are at risk of extinction if we do not change the way we treat wildlife," said Collis. "Overexploitation of species, including through international trade, is a key contributing factor to the decline of many species."
At the two-week summit, CITES member countries also voted for new protections for the guitarfish ray, glass frogs, crocodiles, and some turtle species.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.