Hong Kong shark fin traders ‘will be hit hard’ by proposal to protect blue sharks
Major species on market is considered abundant but conservationists are pushing for tighter controls
Shark fin traders in Hong Kong could be dealt a devastating blow if one of the most important species for the industry – the blue shark – is elevated to a higher status for protection under a proposal to be considered later this year.
The UN’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) will review a plan by Samoa and Sri Lanka to include blue sharks under Appendix II of the treaty in October.
A CMS listing, which aims to conserve migratory animal species, is non-binding, but usually paves the way for an eventual listing on the more influential Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The next CITES meeting is in 2019.
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“A successful CMS listing is generally recognised as the setting of the stage for a legally binding CITES listing ...[where] real power to strangle this immoral, unsustainable and often illegal trade lies,” Alex Hofford, a campaigner for conservation group WildAid, said.
“If we succeed in our fight to list blue sharks on CMS in October, it would put traders on notice that a storm is coming in 2019.”
According to the proposal, the CMS listing would raise awareness of the “need for the management of blue sharks by all range and fishing states” and “ensure that international cooperation is prioritised, with measures adopted by [regional fisheries management]”.
