Shark conservation has been boosted by a new international trade ban that offers greater protection for 70 species of sharks and rays.
Restrictions on shark and ray fishing were announced at a major conference on protecting wildlife in trade.
The UN Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES Cop20) is taking place in Uzbekistan, with 185 countries participating.
Whale sharks, and all manta and devil rays have been upgraded to Appendix I, which represents the highest level of protection by banning all commercial international trade of these species and their products.
Whale sharks have been seen swimming in shallow waters off the UAE.
Protection agreements were passed to include a full international trade ban on oceanic whitecap sharks, manta and devil rays, and whale sharks, as well as zero export quotas for wedgefish and giant guitarfish.
Other restrictions include regulated trade permits for gulper, smoothhound and tope sharks.
The listings closed major loopholes in the international market for fins, gill plates, meat and other products. These long-standing pressures have accelerated population collapse.
Globally, more than 37 per cent of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction, while pelagic sharks such as hammerheads and blue sharks have declined by more than 70 per cent in 50 years.
Reef sharks are functionally extinct on one in five coral reefs surveyed worldwide, due to overfishing and habitat loss.
Conservationists hailed the vote as a significant moment for marine conservation.
“This is a landmark victory,” said Luke Warwick, director of shark and ray conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
“These decisions could not be more urgent: sharks and rays are the second-most imperilled group of species on the planet, and many are running out of time.
“These animals are vital to the health and balance of our oceans, shaping entire marine ecosystems integrity.”
New hope
Mr Warwick said the decision offered hope of pulling the most vulnerable species back from the brink of extinction, as long as the new regulations are properly enforced.
“This vote gives these species a real chance at recovery, and now we must carry this momentum through into swift implementation. The world chose action over extinction and recognised sharks as essential marine wildlife, and these decisions offer real hope for the future of our oceans. We cannot let up now.”
Conservation efforts in the UAE have focused on captive breeding programmes for endangered shark species, to revitalise populations in the Arabian Gulf.
In 2024, eleven Arabian carpet sharks and four honeycomb stingrays were released into the Jebel Ali marine reserve as part of a government conservation scheme.
Scientists have also spotted an endangered bramble shark off the UAE coast, a sign of success for local conservation efforts and coral reef regeneration programmes.
Dozens of new coral reefs have been planted off the east coast in an attempt to revitalise the marine environments in which sharks thrive.
All nine species of manta and devil rays are threatened with extinction, according to the latest IUCN Red List update in October.
Although manta rays were first listed in Appendix II in 2013, populations have continued to decline by as much as 92 per cent in some regions.
Shut down illegal trade
Trade in the gill plates of devil rays has not been effectively regulated or kept within sustainable limits and there are significant levels of unreported and illegal trade.
Due to very few regulations on catching deep-sea sharks, populations of gulper sharks have plummeted by 80 per cent.
The sharks grow slowly, mature late in life, and produce very few young, so populations are slow to recover once depleted.
Fins from endangered whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, continue to be traded internationally as a luxury food item.
Conservationists hope the move to categorise them in Appendix I will shut down commercial trade and provide a critical safeguard against further declines.
“For too long, sharks that have roamed our oceans for millions of years have been slaughtered for their fins and meat,” said Barbara Slee, senior programme manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
“People may fear sharks, but the truth is we pose a far greater threat to them, with more than 100 million killed every year.
“These new protections will help shift that balance and recognise and honour these sharks as more than just fishery commodities.”
