In summary: All three proposals for sharks and rays need to be adopted:

Proposal 42: 2 mako shark species need to be placed on Appendix II (longfin and shortfin)

Proposal 43: 6 giant guitarfish species need to be placed on Appendix II

Proposal 44: 10 wedgefish species need to be placed on Appendix II

So 18 species in all need to be placed on Appendix II at CITES CoP18.


Learn the Facts

WCS remains concerned that the majority of the global trade in both shark fins, and other products such as meat, remains unregulated, pushing many species toward extinction.

18 additional shark and ray species whose populations are threatened by international trade are being proposed for CITES Appendix II listing.


42. Mako Sharks – 2 species of mako sharks

Fastest of all sharks, the cheetahs of sharks

Makos have declined by approximately 90 percent in the Atlantic over the last 75 years, in part because of the demand for their meat and fins.

WCS welcomes this proposal to list these depleted and heavily traded sharks on CITES Appendix II: two species including the shortfin and longfin mako. There’s been no meaningful management progress for these species.


43. Giant Guitarfish – 6 giant guitarfish species

Found in coastal waters from the Indian Ocean to Indonesia and Southeast Asia

Declines caused mostly by overfishing

WCS strongly concurs that these species qualify for inclusion in Appendix II. Such a listing would help ensure that international trade is legal and sustainable, and where they are already severely depleted, protections are put in place that would help enable giant guitarfish populations to recover (thereby avoiding the need for their inclusion in Appendix I in the future).


44. Wedgefish – 10 wedgefish species

Found in coastal waters from the Indian Ocean to Indonesia and Southeast Asia

Declines caused mostly by overfishing

WCS remains concerned that the majority of the global trade in shark fins, as well as other shark products such as meat, remains unregulated and is pushing many species such as wedgefish toward extinction. We welcome this proposal, as we believe inclusion of these species on Appendix II will help ensure sustainable trade, promote sound fisher management, and break the cycle of inaction that has seen sharks and rays nearly unmanaged globally.


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