March 14, 2013
This week is marked by a historic conservation milestone for sharks and rays globally. At this year’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Conference of the Parties meeting in Bangkok, countries agreed to increase protection for five commercially-exploited species of sharks and manta rays. CITES member nations, referred to as “Parties”, voted in support of listing the oceanic whitetip shark, three species of hammerhead sharks (scalloped, smooth, and great), the porbeagle shark and manta rays in CITES Appendix II – an action that means increased protection, but still allows legal and sustainable trade.
“The 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES will be remembered as a historic moment in shark and ray conservation,” said Bryan Arroyo, head of the U.S. delegation to the treaty’s 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Bangkok. “The decline of these commercially-exploited species is a global challenge that must be met with global solutions. At this meeting, the CITES Parties have taken decisive action to protect these vulnerable species from over-exploitation for international trade and help to maintain sustainable fishery resources.”