The $1-Billion Shark Trade: Can Conservation Keep Up?

Sharks and rays are more than the sum of their parts. Their ecological significance, cultural value, and role in human livelihoods make them worth saving. | AFP via Getty Images

In this article by Forbes, it features the Global status of sharks, rays, and chimaeras, the latest report by the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group.

FROM | Forbes
WRITTEN BY | Melissa Cristina Marquez

In Oman, shark liver oil finds its way into traditional eyeliner. In Indonesia, shark and ray skins are served as chips. Across the United States, skates are the seafood equivalent of buffalo wings, and mako and thresher sharks are also being featured in restaurant menus across the country. Meanwhile, Europe markets shark meat under misleading names like “European conger,” markets ray cheeks as a delicacy in Belgium, and offers stingray skin luxury bags alongside French veau de mer dishes. In Thailand, ray and shark skins are turned into wallets and handbags. Even the corneas of shark eyes have reportedly been used for human transplants in Yemen, and shark cartilage is marketed as a panacea for various ailments.

These are just some of the surprising uses of sharks, rays, and chimaeras, detailed in a new report that spans 158 countries and jurisdictions. In fact, these examples barely scratch the surface of the diverse uses of these animals globally. Led by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, this comprehensive document consolidates decades of research on the biology, fisheries, trade, and conservation of these animals. Spanning over 2,000 pages, it serves as a critical update to a 2005 report that first highlighted the rising demand for shark fins and the low conservation awareness surrounding rays and chimaeras. Since then, the landscape has shifted dramatically.

Read more online here.