10/21/2022
How effective is CITES at protecting endangered animals, especially marine animals? 20 years ago in 2002, at CoP12 in Santiago Chile, the whale shark became one of the first shark species to be listed on Appendix II. Today, whale sharks are listed as "Endangered and Largely Depleted" on the IUCN Red List, with a decreasing population trend. This assessment was established in 2016, 14 years after the Appendix II listing.
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19488/2365291
The threats to Whale Sharks, include incidentally captured in tuna purse seine or gillnet fisheries, having a predominant impact on a populations level than targeted fisheries (Pierce and Norman 2016). Also, the current large-scale fisheries in southern China, where Whale Sharks are routinely captured and retained when sighted, are of major concern (Li et al. 2012). International trade surveys indicated that Whale Shark fins are demanding high prices, which could lead to increased targeted fisheries and trade.
The conclusion? It seems like countries are ignoring the Appendix II listing as well as the IUCN Endangered Red List status.
CoP19 is taking place in Panama next month with more sharks species being proposed for Appendix II listings. If passes, what impact will that have on curtailing shark fisheries and the international trade on endangered sharks?
Sharkwater Fin Free Pelagios Kakunjá NearZero Discovery - REW Computing Inc. Focused On Nature Ocean Blue Tree Elite Divers Denver Divers MigraMar Jorge Serendero ONE OCEAN Worldwide Coalition Unidos Por Los Tiburones de Costa Rica United Conservationists
