"For the first time, global governments have agreed to widespread international trade bans and restrictions for sharks and rays being driven to extinction. Last week, more than 70 shark and ray species, including oceanic whitetip sharks, whale sharks, and manta rays, received new safeguards under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The convention, known as CITES, is a United Nations treaty that requires countries to regulate or prohibit international trade in species whose survival is threatened."
"Sharks and rays are closely related species that play similar roles as apex predators in the ocean, helping to maintain healthy marine ecosystems. They have been caught and traded for decades, contributing to a global market worth nearly $1 billion annually, according to Luke Warwick, director of shark and ray conservation at Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), an international nonprofit dedicated to preserving animals and their habitats."
More than 70 shark and ray species received new CITES safeguards requiring countries to regulate or prohibit international trade in their meat, fins, and other products. Sharks and rays serve as apex predators that help maintain healthy marine ecosystems. Decades of fishing and trade have driven a global market approaching $1 billion annually. The measures were adopted at COP20 in Samarkand as a major international commitment to reduce demand. Over one-third of shark and ray species face extinction risk; pelagic sharks have declined by over 70 percent in 50 years, and reef sharks are absent from one in five coral reefs.
Read at Ars Technica
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