FAO/CITES Workshop to review the application and Effectiveness of International Regulatory Measures for the Conservation and Sustainable use of Elasmobranchs

Abstract

Concerns about the status of sharks and their often unregulated exploitation has led to a number of international initiatives to improve shark conservation, among them the FAO IPOA Sharks as well as the regulation of international trade through CITES of several elasmobranchs currently listed on one of the CITES Appendices. Progress in the implementation of the IPOA has been slow and the status of a number of shark species remains a concern which makes it plausible that sharks will continue to be proposed for inclusion in one of the CITES Appendices. The status of many sharks is unknown or poor but there are different views on the best course of action to improve the conservation of sharks. Some countries hold the view that regulation of international trade is necessary to ensure their use is sustainable, while other countries have expressed doubts that regulation of international trade - through CITES - is a suitable instrument for the management, conservation and sustainable use of commercially-exploited marine species including sharks. With these considerations in mind, this workshop, jointly convened by FAO and CITES was held in Genazzano (Rome) from 19 to 23 July 2010, and attended by experts from different geographic areas and sectors including scientific assessment, fisheries management, fishing industry, fish trade, monitoring and control, and government administration. The workshop tried to outline the strengths and weaknesses of the various types of regulatory measures and regulations and to discuss their effectiveness with regard to implementation and stock recovery, as well as their impact on fisheries, livelihood, food security, markets and trade, and government administrations. A key output of the workshop consists of a tabular summary of the discussed effects of different measures on various sectors. This table and the descriptions in the narrative part of the report are designed to assist resource managers in various regions and countries and un der different fisheries development and shark management situations, in their decision-making regarding their own most appropriate management regulations for the conservation and sustainable use of sharks which concern them.