Countries have agreed to protect more than a dozen shark species at risk of
extinction, in a move aimed at conserving some of the ocean’s most
awe-inspiring creatures who have themselves become prey to commercial fishing
and the Chinese appetite for shark fin soup.
Three proposals covering the international trade of 18 types of mako
sharks, wedgefishes and guitarfishes each passed with a needed two-thirds
majority in a committee of the World Wildlife Conference known as CITES.
The measures don’t ban fishing these sharks and rays, but any trade must be
sustainable.
The move isn’t final but is a key sign before an official decision at its
plenary this coming week.
Opponents variously included China, Iceland, Japan, Malaysia and New
Zealand. The U.S. voted against the mako shark measure, but supported the other
two.
