Japan is filing a reservation about international trade in sharks

The Japanese government is filing a reservation about the international trade in porbeagle, oceanic white-tip and three species of hammerhead shark. The rules about international trade in these species were changed at CITES CoP 16 back in March, despite vehement opposition from Japan and China. The FAO estimates that humans kill about 100 million sharks per year. The photos here were taken in Congo just as the CITES conference was kicking off all the way out in Bangkok.

Shark capture, and especially the practice of finning, is becoming more and more frightening in Africa. Not long after CITES, evidence of shark fin trade was gathered during investigations in Guinea with the Conakry-based GALF.

As the news broke (click here for link to an article in Hong Kong’s The Standard) our investigations in West and Central Africa are in progress and we will not let ourselves be discouraged by Japan’s reservation.