Two thirds of species in a global shark fin trade hub are threatened with extinction: Conservation potential of international trade regulations for coastal sharks

Abstract

One third of chondrichthyan species (sharks, rays, and chimeras) are threatened with extinction, mainly due to unsustainable fishing. Large accessible international markets for meat and luxury products like dried fins can help drive overfishing by encouraging targeted capture or retention of high-value export species. If this is common, then species in international trade could have heightened extinction risk. Here, we examined the species composition of the Hong Kong shark fin market from 2014 to 2018, finding that traded species disproportionately occur in threatened categories (70.9%) and all premium value species are threatened. A small number of cosmopolitan species dominate the trade, but noncosmopolitan coastal species are still traded at concerning levels given their limited distribution. These coastal species are not generally subject to retention prohibitions, fisheries management, or international trade regulations and without management many could become extinct. The conservation potential of international trade regulations alone for coastal chondrichthyans depends on the extent to which overfishing is driven by export markets; socioeconomic studies of coastal fishing communities are needed to make this determination. Nonetheless, adding international trade regulations for more coastal shark species that are in the fin trade could prompt broad engagement with overfishing in nations lacking effective management.

From rivers to ocean basins: The role of ocean barriers and philopatry in the genetic structuring of a cosmopolitan coastal predator

“…Increasingly, there is need to monitor wild populations and the global trade of wildlife products through DNA forensics (Cardeñosa et al, 2022 ). Our DArTcap panel of 3400 SNPs can identify species, sex, provenance, and kinship, which allows future monitoring of multiple demographic aspects at low cost (~AU$15 per sample; see Feutry et al, 2020 ).…”

“…While the species composition of shark fin trade has been studied using mtDNA (Cardeñosa et al, 2022;Fields et al, 2018), some species, like the Galapagos Shark and Dusky Shark, show mitochondrial introgression (Corrigan et al, 2017;Naylor et al, 2012). Here, the use of nuclear SNPs can resolve the ability to separate species with such introgression or incomplete lineage sorting (e.g., Liu et al, 2017).…”

“…The main threats affecting Bull Sharks are small‐ and large‐scale fisheries for meat and fins (Glaus et al, 2015 ; Holmes et al, 2009 ), and shark control programs which directly target this species (Blaison et al, 2015 ; Dudley & Simpfendorfer, 2006 ; Niella et al, 2021 ). Because of its global catch, the Bull Shark is also frequently found in the international shark fin and meat trade, raising questions regarding the origin and trade routes of the fished products (Cardeñosa et al, 2022 ; Clarke et al, 2006 ; Fields et al, 2018 ). Unsustainable exploitation may result in population declines and negative ecosystem impacts (Ferretti et al, 2010 ; MacNeil et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Because of its global catch, the Bull Shark is also frequently found in the international shark fin and meat trade, raising questions regarding the origin and trade routes of the fished products (Cardeñosa et al, 2022;Clarke et al, 2006;Fields et al, 2018).…”

To eat or not to eat: Shark and ray meat consumption as a threat to India’s elasmobranchs

“…Research on consumption has largely focussed on the shark fin trade, which, as a luxury product, has received considerable conservation attention (Clarke et al, 2006;Dent & Clarke, 2015;de Mitcheson et al, 2016). Recent trends indicate that even as the fin trade continues to imperil threatened species, the international demand for shark fins from South-East Asia is declining (Jeffreys 2016;Jaiteh et al, 2017;Cardeñosa et al, 2022). Meanwhile there is increasing evidence for more complex drivers, such as the local and global trade in other elasmobranch products, such as meat (e.g.…”