New CITES Regulations on International Shark Fishing to be Implemented

On September 14, 2014, regulation on the harvest and trade of six species of shark and ray species, agreed upon by a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) last year, will go into affect.

The protected species include, the oceanic whitetip, great, scalloped, and smooth hammerheads, porbeagle, and manta ray. Under the new regulations, trade of the meat and fins of these sharks and rays will not be allowed unless authorized by designated national authorities. This is the first time that international trade of commercially exploited shark species will be regulated. 

While the regulations span 180 countries, some countries have requested reservations to the CITES regulations. Countries with reservations include, Denmark (on behalf of Greenland), Canada, Guyana, Japan, Iceland, and Yemen, which have all determined to continue to fish and trade these species. However, under the CITES regulations they will only be able to trade with other countries that have also registered a reservation. The big success for CITES is China's agreement to the regulations, as it has historically been the main consumer market.