Six Solutions to Save Sharks
<p>A wide variety of shark products are traded internationally, with a<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4795e.pdf" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"> value approaching US$1 billion</a>. But the international trade is awash with shark products of unknown origin and species, some of which were illegally caught and exported. Indeed, the proportion of illegal products has probably increased as more species have been added to the list of species regulated by<a href="https://cites.org/eng/prog/shark" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"> CITES</a>, and there have been some<a href="https://sharks.panda.org/news-blogs-updates/latest-news/wwf-calls-for-stronger-action-on-the-back-of-record-shark-fin-seizure-in-hong-kong" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"> massive shark fin seizures</a> here in Hong Kong recently. The vast majority of shark products are not traceable, making it hard to know where they were caught, and even what species they are. This lack of transparency would be unthinkable for most other highly traded products, including many other kinds of seafoods where traceability systems are increasingly commonplace. CITES has recognized this is a major issue that needs to be addressed, and TRAFFIC is undertaking a<a href="https://www.sharkconservationfund.org/project/sharktrack-developing-a-traceability-system-for-shark-and-ray-products/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"> project</a> to develop a workable traceability system. The sooner traceability is introduced for shark products traded under CITES and others, the sooner illegal shark products can be exposed and clamped down on.</p>
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