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July 6, 2005

Great White Sharks One of Many Victims In Multi-Billion Dollar Wildlife Black Market

Great white sharks finally made it onto the Endangered listings at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2004. CITES is an international agreement that aims to combat illegal trafficking of endangered plants and wildlife with 167 member countries. Policies are enforced using permits and monitoring in individual countries. For example, in the United States, the Fish & Wildlife Service enforces CITES policy.

Despite being one of the most recognizable fishes in our oceans, the great white shark is still a mystery of marine biology. Only recently have scientists begun to show an interest in studying this apex predator. Right here in Santa Cruz, the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation has been studying the local great whites, as well as other shark species in the Monterey Bay. Then this past year, the Monterey Bay Aquarium made significant leaps in their White Shark Research Project, including the unprecedented catching and exhibiting of a great white. The young female shark spent 6 months on exhibit in the giant Outer Bay tank before being re-released into the wild. For the past three years, the Wildlife Conservation Society have been conducting a tagging project off the coast of South Africa. National Geographic just reported on on their tagging techniques and has provided some great footage for all to see.

Wildlife Conservation Society researchers began their shark-tagging project with "small" great whites, which still measured an impressive six to seven feet (two meters). The team has subsequently fitted animals measuring nearly 13 feet (4 meters) and weighing 1,650 pounds (750 kilograms).

The sharks are caught on a hook and line, and then maneuvered into a specially designed metal "cradle," which lifts them out of the water for three to seven minutes.

...

"As we started going to larger and larger sharks, they [became] very difficult to get into the cradle. But once in the cradle, they also became [quite] tame."

More at: Forget Alligators, This Expert Wrestles Great White Sharks

Great white jaws can fetch up to U.S. $10,000 each (even before being listed), making them yet another in a long list of lucrative blackmarket items. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, wildlife smuggling ranks second only to drug trafficking at the border.

The contraband is part of a global trade in endangered wildlife estimated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at $4.2 billion a year, second only to illegal drugs.

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Posted by sorsha at July 6, 2005 10:42 PM