Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Alejandra Goyenechea, International Counsel

It’s with great joy that we wrapped up this year’s Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Conference of the Parties. It proved to be an historic meeting, especially for the conservation of the marine species we’ve been focusing on for so many years. We worked hard to disseminate information and advocate for these species to be included in CITES Appendices that regulate or prohibit their trade — and all our work paid off!

An oceanic whitetip shark, one of five shark species we supported at CITES this year (©Peter Koelbl)

We are thrilled to report that the listing proposals of several species of sharks that we were supporting were approved, including oceanic whitetips (despite opposition from delegates representing Japan, Gambia and India, among others), and three species of hammerhead sharks (despite opposition from delegates representing Grenada and China, among others). At the end of the conference, at least two-thirds of the delegates voted in favor of including those species under the protection of CITES. Porbeagle sharks and two species of manta rays were also approved. The amount of support for these proposals was so overwhelming that the opponents did not even get an opportunity to reopen the debate later in the conference.

This was the first time since 2004 that the trade of commercially valuable shark species has been regulated. While an Appendix II listing does not entirely ban the trade of these species, it puts new regulations in place that require permits for exporting the fins and other parts of these animals, giving officials the data on the numbers being traded and an account of the specific species traded. Listing them in CITES will help shut down illegal trade in these species and give these vulnerable sharks an opportunity to begin recovering their numbers from the impact of the fin trade.

This meeting will also be remembered because of the unprecedented number of endangered and threatened tropical trees that were listed by consensus in Appendix II: 125 species of rosewood, ebony and sandalwood from Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America were added under CITES. These historic votes meant that finally, the countries of the world, exporters and importers, recognized that the international trade of precious tropical woods needed immediate regulation to put a stop to overexploitation and illegal harvesting before it is too late to save these species.

Spotted turtle (c)John J. Mosesso/NBII

We are also delighted that delegates adopted other proposals we worked on, such as the decision to list the Ecuadorean Machalilla’s frog (Epipedobates machalilla). Many other species gained placement on the CITES Appendices this year as well, including three U.S. species of turtles: Blanding’s turtle, the spotted turtle and the diamondback terrapin, all of which have been declining due to overexploitation. A proposal to uplist to Appendix I and therefore ban the international commercial trade of the West African manatee was approved by consensus, thanks to the wide support of many countries. New Zealand’s green geckos – a species declining because collectors find the animal’s color so appealing – was also listed, as were several species of snakes. In a proposal from Australia, freshwater sawfish were also protected by a new listing that bans the international trade of the species unless for scientific research purposes or under other extenuating circumstances.

Much of the meeting’s success came from the collaboration between Latin American countries, some African nations (mainly from the West), the United States and Europe. It was rewarding to see so many nations recognize the importance of basing their decisions for these proposals on sound science, and to watch them respond to the excessive international trade that is taking a great toll on many species and cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. Now comes the next step for Juan Carlos, our colleague in Mexico, and myself: assisting with training and capacity building in Latin American Parties to CITES to help implement of these decisions and allow the listings to be not only historic, but also truly successful.

Alejandra Goyenechea, International Counsel

Alejandra and others who worked to gather support for the shark proposals at CITES celebrate a long-awaited victory.

Sharks are finally getting the attention they deserve. Six years ago (which means two Conferences ago), or even at the last CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP), CITES delegates did not even think that it was possible to include shark species in the CITES Appendices. These ancient marine predators have always been an especially heated topic in the world of wildlife trade, with such strong opposition to listing them that it has been nearly a decade since a shark species was included in a CITES Appendix. Until this year, the whale shark was the last species listed, back in 2003. Since then, millions of sharks have continued to be killed each year to meet the demands of the shark fin trade, which has little to no regulation.

A NOAA agent counts confiscated shark fins.

Last week, a number of countries – including regions of Latin America, Europe, Africa and the U.S. – presented three shark proposals: Oceanic whitetip, hammerheads and porbeagle. All of these species have been heavily impacted by the shark fin trade. Populations of hammerhead sharks declined by 83 percent from 1981 to 2005 in the Northwest Atlantic, and similar declines are being seen in populations around the world. Porbeagles have also declined, thanks to unregulated longline fishing. Oceanic whitetips are exceptionally threatened by the fin trade, where the distinctive, easily-identifiable white-tipped fins of this species range can be worth up to $85 per kilogram.

The discussions around these shark proposals took all day long. Many delegates and representatives testified (something called an “intervention” at CITES) in favor of the proposals, presenting compelling arguments and information on the impacts that international trade has on these sharks. Most of all, they addressed the arguments that led similar proposals to fail at the last CoP in 2010. At that time, the opposition – which included China (a major shark importer), Thailand, Cambodia, Japan and others – trotted out all kinds of misinformation to keep the proposals from passing. They even claimed that one can’t identify the species of shark from the fins alone, which would make it impossible to judge imports from the shark fin trade.

Hammerhead shark.

This year, we came prepared. Defenders and our partners created shark identification guides that clearly show how to identify species of sharks and their fins. We also spent a great deal of time and effort reaching out to a number of nations before the Conference to encourage them to support these proposals, including all the Latin American and West African countries, which turned out to be crucial in getting enough votes. This time we finally saw some real progress for sharks. With an historic two-thirds vote in favor, all three proposals were approved! Oceanic whitetip, porbeagle sharks and three species of hammerheads will be listed in Appendix II of CITES, finally setting strict regulations to protect these species from the demands of the trade.

The same day also saw a similar victory for two species of mantas. Both are found only in fragmented populations across the tropics, but their tendency to gather in large numbers makes them exceptionally easy targets for fishermen – and especially vulnerable to overfishing. People catch mantas for their gill plates, also called “gill rakers,” which are used for medicinal purposes in East Asia. Places like Indonesia and Mozambique have seen their manta populations decline more than 80 percent in some places over the past eight years. Installing regulations on this trade, which kills thousands of mantas every year, is a great step toward ensuring a future for these two species. The proposal to list mantas passed the same day as the shark proposals, with even more votes than the sharks making it a great day for marine animals.

Unfortunately, freshwater rays did not fare as well. We worked hard to get support for a proposal to list three species of freshwater rays from South America in the CITES Appendix to better regulate the international trade of these animals, which are mainly imported for the pet trade in the US, Thailand, China, Europe and others. Sadly, the proposal did not get the support it needed to pass, mostly due to Europe’s negative vote and heavy opposition from pet trade organizations.

Michael Tucker, International Conservation Intern

Whenever someone says the word “shark,” the great white from Jaws usually swims to mind. Unfortunately many shark species, the majority of which are harmless to humans, have paid the ultimate price for their more famous movie brethren. The porbeagle shark, an inhabitant of the colder waters of the Atlantic Ocean and a cousin of the great white, is one of those species in desperate need of assistance before it disappears from our planet’s oceans forever.

Porbeagle shark (c)NMFS

What is a Porbeagle?
Lamna nasus, also known as the porbeagle, is a relatively common shark found in the waters between Great Britain and Canada, ranging from shorelines to depths of up to 4,462 feet. The porbeagle is a stout-bodied shark with a pointed nose and a unique white spot on the rear of the dorsal fin. Like its larger cousin the great white, the porbeagle has a dual-shaded body to help it hunt fish from below and above. These sharks are also one of the only species of shark in the world that like to play — they have been found off of the Cornish coast rolling in kelp and pushing buoys around for no reason other than entertainment.

What’s the Problem?
Porbeagle sharks breed slowly and only give birth to one or two pups a year, so any significant damage done to the population takes a long time to fix. It has been estimated that it takes close to 14 years for a population to recover from excessive fishing. Porbeagles were a favorite target for fishing vessels from the 1950s to the 1990s for shark steaks until strict fishing laws were implemented during the late 1990s in order to save the species from overfishing. Although fishing for porbeagles still occurs in the northwestern Atlantic, studies have shown that the number of porbeagles landed in Europe has declined in the past 20 years.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the porbeagle is listed as globally vulnerable, critically endangered in the northwest Atlantic, endangered in the northeast, and near threatened in the southern Atlantic. In both 2007 and 2010, proposals to regulate the trade of  the species were presented by the European Union at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), but fishing interests successfully blocked the proposals each time.

You Can Help!
For the past couple CITES meetings, Defenders has been helping garner support for a new chance at getting additional international regulations for porbeagles and other shark species to better protect them against overharvesting. Brazil, Comoros, Croatia, the European Union and Egypt will all be sponsoring the porbeagle proposal, and we’ll be at the upcoming CITES conference meeting with the delegates and advocating for the proposal. We are hoping that this time the Parties to the Convention will recognize the dire need for international cooperation to protect porbeagle sharks.  Last time, at the 2010 meeting, the porbeagle proposal lost by just a single vote! We are turning now to Panama, who could cast the decisive vote on this proposal and others like it designed to gain new protections for hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks. Click here to send a letter asking the President of Panama to support shark conservation at this year’s CITES conference!

Michael Tucker, International Conservation Intern

The oceanic whitetip was once considered the most abundant species of sharks on the planet. But now, due largely to overfishing, it has become one of the most threatened. A member of the same family as the bull shark, sandbar shark, and blacktip shark, the oceanic whitetip is highly migratory. It lives in warm seas, and is capable of bearing live young. Unfortunately for the oceanic whitetip, they do not breed fast enough to counteract the vast overfishing of the species which has occurred over the past 60 years.

What’s the Problem?

Oceanic whitetip shark (©Peter Koelbl)

For years, biologists have seen oceanic whitetip populations decline. In 2006, the IUCN designated the species as threatened. While the global population is difficult to know for certain, it is estimated that their population decreased almost 70 percent globally between 1992 and 2000, and is continuing to go down every day. Along the Gulf of Mexico, records from the 1950s compared to those from the 1990s show a shocking population decrease in oceanic whitetip shark population of 98 percent!

Catching and finning sharks has become much more popular throughout many Asian countries in the past several years. And around 30 percent of all the sharks brought in by these fishing vessels is oceanic whitetip sharks! The reason whitetips are so vulnerable to this practice  is that they tend to follow ships, seeking food dropped off the sides. This allows them to easily be trapped in the large nets dragged behind finning vessels. Each shark fin sells for around $80 to the restaurants that use them for shark fin soup. Unfortunately, that means they won’t stop anytime soon without a very good reason to cut back. Roughly 73 million sharks of various species are killed each year to make shark fin soup.

Bycatch is another massive problem facing sharks. Longline cables, drag nets and other means of catching larger fish such as tuna end up snagging other creatures as well, including the oceanic whitetip. These sharks are then thrown back into the ocean too weak to swim from being strung up for hours or even days, caught on a hook not intended for them. Without the strength to swim away, these sharks often drown or find themselves victims of other scavengers who follow these boats. Oceanic whitetips make up just over 20 percent of the sharks caught on these longlines in the Pacific Ocean. With so many oceanic whitetips killed each year, it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to repopulate fast enough to balance out the numbers.

What Can We Do?
One of the best steps we can take to protect oceanic whitetips is to have them listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. Being listed under CITES would mean that  international trade in the fins and other parts of sharks would be closely monitored and regulated to make sure that the species would not be threatened with extinction. Given that one of the largest threats to the species is due to trade, regulation could make a huge difference.

For several years now, many Latin American countries have been leading proposals to CITES about expanding protection for sharks. In the upcoming March 2013 CITES meeting in Thailand, the United States, along with Brazil and Colombia, will cosponsor the proposal to list the oceanic whitetip shark under CITES Appendix II. The United States will cosponsor the proposal, and Defenders of Wildlife has been collecting data and preparing materials on the oceanic whitetip to help our cosponsor countries prepare for it. If the proposal is approved, all countries involved in the international shark fin trade will be required to get a permit in order to import the sharks or their fins, and regulations will only allow for a sustainable harvest. If it passes, this will be a great step toward curbing the uncontrolled harvest and trade of sharks for their fins, and will help save a species worth keeping for future generations.

Juan Carlos Cantu, Mexico Programs Manager

A basking shark, one of only three shark species protected internationally (Photo: Greg Skomal/NOAA Fisheries Service)

Since 2002, Defenders of Wildlife has been working to get international protection for shark species by having them listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, known more commonly as CITES. This convention can create international rules to regulate the trade of certain endangered species, or to forbid that trade altogether. For sharks, which are being decimated by the international shark fin trade, being listed under CITES could mean an unprecedented level of protection. Unfortunately, most fishery authorities in the world just don’t want international trade of shark products regulated — especially the fin trade. Pressure from those authorities has made it very difficult to get a CITES listing for sharks. Only three species out of the known 468 have been listed so far: the great white shark, the whale shark and the basking shark.

At the 2010 CITES meeting, three shark proposals failed. Although most countries voted in favor, Japan and China were able to scare or buy enough votes to block the proposals, which would have provided protection for three hammerhead species, as well as sandbar, dusky, oceanic white tip, porbeagle and spiny dogfish sharks. And CITES meetings only occur every two to three years, so if you don’t succeed at one meeting, it can take several years to get another chance for a species to be listed.

Last year, Alejandra Goyeneachea and I worked with the Species Survival Network (a coalition of 80 NGOs) to develop a proposal to list the scalloped hammerhead, smooth hammerhead and great hammerhead sharks at the 2013 CITES conference. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the scalloped and great hammerheads are endangered worldwide, and the smooth hammerhead is vulnerable. All three species are threatened by over-exploitation, bycatch, and illegal or unreported fishing. Because they are mostly coastal species, and easier targets for fishing, one of the most serious threats to their survival is that in many countries, sharks of all ages are captured — even pregnant females or the very young — which means the populations continue to decrease. Meanwhile, the shark fin trade has increased exponentially in the past decade, and hammerhead shark fins are some of the highest valued in the industry. The protection a CITES listing could provide these species in so many countries would give them a chance to recover from the damage the fin trade has done, and hopefully one day reverse it.

A scalloped hammerhead shark caught in a fishing net. (Photo ©Seawatch.org)

Once we had the proposal, we had to find a country to present it at the convention. We concentrated on South American countries, and Brazil agreed to lead and present the proposal. Brazilian shark experts acknowledged that their hammerhead shark populations are declining fast, and that international protection would be needed to help conserve them. Then we looked for cosponsors everywhere — the more we could get, the better the proposal’s chance of being approved. One by one, countries started to accept, including Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. The European Union was difficult because it is made up of 27 countries, and several — like Italy, Spain and Greece — did not want to support it at first; but in the end, they agreed.

Then we set our sights on Mexico. We knew it would be hard because the fishery authorities in that country had sworn in several international meetings that they would not let any shark species be listed. They were even able to block Mexico from supporting any shark proposals in the last CITES meeting. We knew that we had the support of Mexico CITES management and scientific authorities, but they couldn’t override the fishery opposition. So we had to appeal to someone higher, and that meant going to the President.

It isn’t often that reaching out to a government at the presidential level can even work, much less be well received — these leaders have so much to deal with that conservation all too often takes a back seat to other issues. But we hoped that this time would be different. Through a small coalition of Mexican NGOs, we were able to get a letter to President Calderón conveying the request. And then we got a pleasant surprise. It turns out he is a scuba diver, who loves the sea and recognizes the importance of protecting its species. With just a day left to meet the CITES deadline for submission of proposals, President Calderón sent the letter confirming Mexico’s support directly to Brazil and the CITES Secretariat.

Great hammerhead sharks (Photo ©ColombiaTravel)

Earlier this month, the official list of the proposals for the 2013 convention was published and all our year-long work — talking to dozens of government officials, working with NGOs and scientists in so many countries — was worth it: Mexico is listed as a co-proponent of the hammerheads proposal. Mexico joins Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Costa Rica in this proposal, making it the most supported proposal from the Latin American region in CITES history.

Alas, the hardest part of our job is just beginning. We now have to write and translate information on the shark trade and fisheries in the three official languages of CITES (English, Spanish and French) and distribute them to most of the 176 countries in CITES requesting their support to the hammerhead proposal, so that they have the best scientific and legal information available before they decide how to vote.

We’ll have constant meetings and telephone conferences with NGOs and CITES management and scientific authorities from all over the world before the March, 2013 CITES meeting in Thailand. And then, during the two-week meeting, we will do it all over again.

At the last CITES meeting, the hammerhead proposal lost by 10 votes. But we’re doing everything we can to make sure that this time, things will be different — and the result will be a victory for shark conservation.

Some 73 million sharks are killed each year for their fins, depriving ocean habitats of this vital top predator.

by Brian Bovard

Sharks are facing an undeniable worldwide threat as populations are pushed to the brink of extinction due to targeted and by-catch over-fishing. Up to 73 million sharks are killed each year for their fins alone in a brutal process known as “finning” which involves slicing off a shark’s fins, usually while it’s still alive, and discarding the body at sea. As demand for this pricey commodity, which can sell for over $300 per pound and is used primarily to make an Asian delicacy shark fin soup, continues to soar shark populations across the world will continue to plummet. As predators at or near the top of marine food webs, sharks help maintain the balance of marine life in our oceans and research shows that the massive depletion of sharks will have cascading effects throughout the oceans’ ecosystems.

Fortunately countries across the world are recognizing the dangers posed by these massive depletions of shark species. This past week Defenders of Wildlife’s International Counsel, Alejandra Goyenechea, along with government representatives from 50 other countries worldwide, had the honor of attending the first meeting of signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks concluded under the UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) which took place in Bonn, Germany. Defenders was present to ensure that proper conservation measures were in place as participants adopted a new conservation plans, which aims to catalyze regional initiatives to reduce threats to migratory sharks. Signatory states also agreed to involve fishing industry representatives, NGOs, and scientists in implementing the conservation plan.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, countries agreed to exchange information among government bodies, scientific institutions, international organizations and NGOs for better cooperation. Improved monitoring and data collection will help assess the structure, trends and distribution of shark populations necessary to design targeted conservation measures. Although the memorandum of understanding for the conservation of sharks was made non-binding, the signatories agreed that fishing quotas for sharks must be established and monitored closely while by-catch for mako, spiny dogfish, porbeagle, basking, white, and whale sharks must be monitored much more diligently.

Currently 258 shark species are listed as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. An additional 210 species are listed in the Data Deficient category because of a lack of sufficient population data, which itself suggests these species are at high risk. The IUCN has estimated that 32 percent of open-ocean sharks are threatened with extinction. Sharks are slow to grow, slow to reach sexual maturity, very slow to reproduce, with some shark species having gestation periods of up to two years, and so are particularly susceptible to overfishing. Also shark species that are coastal swimmers, mostly pregnant females are very easy targets for overfishing. Fortunately there is a growing global awareness to protect sharks as more states and countries pass legislation that will protect these magnificent species.