CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) voted yesterday to include five shark species to Appendix II. The species include:
- oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)
- great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran)
- scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)
- smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena)
- porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus)
The inclusion of these species in the CITES Appendix II now requires that the sharks “will have to be traded with CITES permits and evidence will have to be provided that they are harvested sustainably and legally.”
In addition to the sharks species, the inclusion of manta ray species and a species of sawfish into Appendix II was also approved yesterday. These inclusion are considered to be a major milestone for CITES involvement in the marine environment.
CITES is an international agreement between governments formed to regulate the international trade of wild animals and plants to protect their survival. For more information, visit the CITES website.
OceanicWorld’s YouTube channel recently posted a video (seen above) featuring reactions from CITES delegates following the adoption of all 5 proposed shark species.