The Mexican government will back an effort to add both shortfall and long fin mako sharks to to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora when the group meets during its annual summit in 2019.
Additionally, the governments of Senegal and Sri Lanka announced they will support similar inclusion of giant guitarfish and wedge fish, close relatives to sharks, on the CITES list. The list is used to form international agreements that protect animals and plants from over-exploitation through trade.
Research data compiled by FIU’s Department of Biological Sciences postdoctoral associate Mark Bond was used as the backbone for each of those proposals.
“These developments are a significant step toward regulating highly traded, commercially valuable species,” Bond said. “In some countries, this is the first piece of management for shark and ray fisheries. Given the strength of CITES legislation countries are mandated to implement, the hope of ensuring the sustainability of these species rests with CITES.”
The 18 species of elasmobranchs covered in the proposals are especially susceptible to fishing pressures because of their value in the shark fin trade.
