CITES agrees on global protection of shark species threatened by unsustainable trade
Yesterday, the 178 countries that are part of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) approved the decision to grant extra protection to five shark species threatened by unsustainable international trade. The new rules will ensure that international trade of five shark species -which are highly vulnerable and have experienced alarming declines over the last years- only occurs if there are guarantees that it is sustainable.
Commissioner Maria Damanaki welcomed the decision: "The EU actively supports sharks protection, promoting the measures taken recently to this purpose by Regional Fisheries bodies and by having adopted new rules on a full ban on shark finning at sea, with no exemptions. Today's decision represents a further step in the right direction, for the safeguard of marine ecosystems and the benefit of those who depend on them."
