Delegates at a global summit on trade in endangered species will decide
Thursday whether to approve a proposal to protect sharks, a move that could
drastically reduce the lucrative and often cruel shark fin trade.
اضافة اعلان
The proposal would place dozens of species of the requiem shark and the
hammerhead shark families on Appendix II of the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
The appendix lists species that may not yet be threatened with extinction
but may become so unless trade in them is closely controlled.
If Thursday's plenary meeting gives the green light, "it would be a
historic decision," Panamanian delegate Shirley Binder told AFP.
"For the first time CITES would be handling a very large number of
shark species, which would be approximately 90 percent of the market," she
said.
Spurring the trade is the insatiable Asian appetite for shark fins, which
make their way onto dinner tables in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.
Despite being described as almost tasteless and gelatinous, shark fin soup
is viewed as a delicacy and is enjoyed by the very wealthy, often at weddings
and expensive banquets.
Shark fins, representing a market of about $500 million per year, can sell
for about $1,000 a kilogram.
- From villain to
conservation darling -
Sharks have long been seen as the villain of the seas they have occupied for
more than 400 million years, drawing horror with their depiction in films such
as "Jaws," and occasional attacks on humans.
However, these ancient predators have undergone an image makeover in recent
years as conservationists have highlighted the crucial role they play in
regulating the ocean ecosystem.
According to the Pew Environment Group, between 63 million and 273 million
sharks are killed every year, mainly for their fins and other parts.
With many shark species taking more than 10 years to reach sexual maturity,
and having a low fertility rate, the constant hunting of the species has
decimated their numbers.
In many parts of the world, fisherman lop the sharks fins off at sea,
tossing the shark back into the ocean for a cruel death by suffocation or blood
loss.
The efforts by conservationists led to a turning point in 2013, when CITES
imposed the first trade restrictions on some shark species.
"We are in the middle of a very large shark extinction crisis,"
Luke Warwick, director of shark protection for the NGO Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS), told AFP at the beginning of the summit.
- Heated debate -
Thursday's vote followed a fierce debate that lasted nearly three hours,
with Japan and Peru seeking to reduce the number of shark species that would be
protected.
Japan had proposed that the trade restriction be reduced to 19 species of
requiem sharks, and Peru called for the blue shark to be removed from the
list.
However, both suggestions were rejected.
"We hope that nothing extraordinary happens and that these entire
families of sharks are ratified for inclusion in Annex II," Chilean
delegate Ricardo Saez told AFP.
Several delegations, including hosts Panama, displayed stuffed toy sharks on
their tables during the earlier Committee I debate.
The plenary will also vote on ratifying a proposal to protect guitarfish, a
species of ray.
The shark initiative was one of the most discussed at this year's CITES
summit in Panama, with the proposal co-sponsored by the European Union and 15
countries.
Participants at the summit considered 52 proposals to change species
protection levels.
CITES, which came into force in 1975, has set international trade rules for
more than 36,000 wild species.
Its signatories include 183 countries and the European Union.
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