Every year, an estimated 100 million sharks and rays are taken from the seas – an unsustainable level of fishing and bycatch that has resulted in a drastic decline in global populations, with 30 per cent of species now threatened with extinction.
WWF is calling for strong action by countries around the world, and is delighted to see the lead taken by the government of Ecuador. Following a recent record seizure of 26 tonnes of shark fin illegally exported from Ecuador to Hong Kong, it announced new conservation measures to better protect sharks and rays. Supported by WWF, the government announced an export ban on products coming from five shark species, including three of the most endangered shark species in the world: the oceanic whitetip, scalloped hammerhead and great hammerhead. Ecuador has also committed to act as a regional shark champion in the eastern Pacific, as well as to introduce an innovative, automated traceability system to stop illegal products from entering the market.