Press Releases
Improving management of shark fin stockpiles in Hong Kong
TRAFFIC and WWF release a new protocol to better regulate the trade of CITES listed shark fin and ray products in Hong Kong SAR, China. Announced on Shark Awareness Day, the new protocol will help combat the illegal shark fin trade.
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WWF-Thailand and WildAid launch ‘Cats for Sharks’, a digital campaign harnessing the power of cats and pet lovers to protect sharks
WWF-Thailand and WildAid launch ‘Cats for Sharks’, a digital campaign that enlists cats as advocates for sharks. The campaign leverages cats’ internet popularity to appeal to the public and inform viewers of how the consumption of sharks is leading to species disappearance and to harmful impacts on the oceans, which could drastically impact the seafood most cats and humans eat.
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Historic first rebuilding programme adopted for the endangered shortfin mako shark
(23 November 2021) After years of negotiations, today 52 tuna fishing nations and the EU adopted a comprehensive rebuilding programme to allow the recovery of the endangered mako shark in the North Atlantic. WWF welcomes the plan as the most efficient way to immediately stop the overfishing and dramatic decline of shortfin mako sharks and set the species on a path towards recovery. The decision came at the end of the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) held virtually from 15 to 23 November.
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Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Colombia announce new protections for the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor at COP26
During the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, presidents of four Latin American countries announced a joint agreement to provide greater protection to the existing marine corridor in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Stretching from the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador to Isla Coiba in Panama, the corridor is an important "ocean highway" for marine wildlife, including the critically endangered scalloped hammerhead sharks.
See WWF-LAC Press Release
WWF rejects illegal trade in shark fins
A statement by WWF-Colombia on the seizure of 3,493 shark fins intercepted at the El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, to be illegally exported to Hong Kong.
See WWF-Colombia press release
Time is running out to save sharks and rays, with over a third of species pushed toward extinction by overfishing
(7 Sept 2021) A major study re-assessing the IUCN Red List status for all sharks, rays and chimaeras reveals that over 1/3 of all these species are now at risk of extinction caused by overfishing. Governments and regional fisheries bodies must act now to stop overfishing and prevent a global extinction crisis.
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26 new whale sharks identified in Donsol, Philippines
(30 August 2021) - More than two dozen new faces were among the familiar ones as the latest annual whale shark survey came to a close in Donsol, Philippines, ahead of Whale Shark Day 2021. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines identified 58 individual whale sharks during the organization's 2021 population survey, held annually off the coast of Donsol.
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US$2.6 billion global trade in shark and ray meat revealed. Better rules and transparency needed to fight overexploitation.
(13 July 2021) More than 200 countries and territories are importing and exporting shark and ray meat for a global trade that was valued at US$2.6 billion between 2012 and 2019, with Spain being the world’s top exporter, Italy the top importer and the EU accounting for over 20% of the global shark meat trade.
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Fiji's Dreketi River & Estuary Shark and Ray Survey report launched
This World Oceans Day WWF-Pacific together with Fiji's Ministry of Environment and other stakeholders launched its Dreketi River and Estuary Shark and Ray Survey report, which provides a snapshot of shark and ray species found within and around Fiji’s deepest river.
See WWF-Pacific news
WWF calls for urgent measures to recover heavily depleted oceanic sharks and rays
WWF urges all states fishing for tuna to implement a set of urgently needed measures – including 100% observer coverage on all industrial fishing vessels by 2030 and recovery plans for all critically endangered and endangered oceanic sharks and rays by 2026 – in order to prevent extinctions and restore heavily depleted populations of pelagic sharks and rays.
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TRAFFIC bites back at illegal wildlife traders with the world’s first-ever 3D-printed replica shark fins
Frontline law enforcement officials can now harness pioneering technology to combat the trafficking in shark fins; an illegal trade accelerating shark population declines globally.
See TRAFFIC press release
Portugal must be a European leader in the protection of sharks and rays
(8 April 2021) Portugal is in 3rd place among the European countries that capture the most sharks and rays, behind Spain and France, with almost half of its species under threat. ANP|WWF urges the Portuguese government to create a National Action Plan for the management and conservation of sharks and rays, which would place Portugal in the European leadership for the protection of these species.
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Nearly 40 sharks and rays reclassified as threatened, including one species of ray already possibly extinct
(25 March 2021) New updates on the conservation status of sharks and rays released today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) show that 39 additional species are now facing a risk of extinction in the wild. This takes the total of all sharks and rays categorised as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered to 355.
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WWF and the Solomon Islands government collaborate to improve fisheries management and complete National Plan of Action-Sharks
WWF-Solomon Islands has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to formalize joint efforts to improve fisheries management and marine species protection. As part of this collaboration, WWF will support the authorities with completing the National Plan of Action for sharks and rays (NPOA-Sharks) in the Solomon Islands.
See WWF-Pacific Press Release
More than 300 Species of Sharks and Rays Now Threatened with Extinction
(10 December 2020) – New assessments by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released today show 316 chondrichthyan species – sharks, rays and skates, and chimaeras – are now threatened with extinction.
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