The fin trade is a major driver of shark overexploitation globally. Shark fins are one of the most expensive seafood commodities on the market, estimated to be worth US$400-$550 million annually.1 Despite documented population declines for several shark species worldwide, prior to 2013, there were no international trade controls for commercially important shark species traded in large numbers primarily for their fins and meat
Identifying Shark Fins was created to help enforcement personnel to provisionally identify the dried and wet fins of commercially traded CITES listed shark species based on morphological characteristics of their most distinctive fins in their commonly traded form (frozen and/or dried and unprocessed) at the first point of trade. A preliminary visual identification will establish reasonable or probable cause in enforcement settings so that expert opinion can be sought or genetic testing can confirm field identification, aiding governments in successfully implementing and enforcing the CITES shark listings and promoting legal, sustainable trade.
1Dulvy N.K., et al., 2014. Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks and rays. eLife 3.