International Elasmobranch Management and Conservation Initiatives

Please take some time to read this article, The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is a livebearer: 300 embryos found in one ‘megamamma’ supreme.

A significant rise in the global trade of shark products in early 1990s was noticed. This alarming trend raised concerns about the potential overexploitation and unsustainability of fisheries. During the 9th CoP to the CITES in 1994, this issue was extensively discussed, leading to the adoption of a Resolution. The CITES Animals Committee compiled and assessed existing data on the biological and trade status of shark species involved in international trade. This paper details the efforts following the Resolution, leading to significant international initiatives for monitoring and managing elasmobranchs.

The sections ‘Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species’ (CITES) and ‘Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)’ (CMS) are important. Numerous international instruments and agreements exist, offering a diverse array of options to promote and implement enhanced management strategies for shark populations in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. These options encompass areas within national waters as well as the vast expanses of the high seas. The CITES and CMS cover the widest parties in the world, the CITES is the only truly effective means for monitoring international trade in products from wild species, and the whale shark was the first species of chondrichthyans to be listed by CMS. In light of the pressing need to enhance the management of endangered and commercially-exploited shark and ray species, it can be strongly argued that managers and policy-makers should actively advocate for the utilization of all pertinent management tools at their disposal. A better understanding of how CITES and CMS operate is crucial for more effectively applying them to one’s own (chondrichthyan) management and conservation policies.

Please use the question below to help you understand： -This paper only describes IOTC of RFMOs, please list at least three organizations of RFMOs and one of their latest measures to protect (any or group) chondrichthyans. -Please list at least three RFMOs and the chondrichthyan species they prohibit from fishing.