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© naturepl.com / Jeff Rotman / WWF

Shark trade in the Coral Triangle

© naturepl.com / Jeff Rotman / WWF

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Published 8 September 2012

  English | Chinese 

Poor fisheries management endangers sharks in the Coral Triangle

Hong Kong, 8th September 2012—WWF and TRAFFIC today released a new report that shows the need for a more concerted effort in managing shark fisheries in the Coral Triangle, to help conserve dwindling populations of these threatened species. 

An Overview of Shark Utilization in the Coral Triangle Region

Report author(s):
Mary Lack, Glenn Sant

Publication date:
September 2012


Notes:

  • The Top 20 shark catchers in descending order of average catch from FAO capture production 2000-2010: Indonesia, India, Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, United States of America, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, France, Brazil, Thailand, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Nigeria, Iran (Islamic Rep. of), Korea, Republic of and  United Kingdom.  (FAO Fisheries Department, 2012). 
  • Sharks caught from the top 20 shark catchers account for nearly 80 percent of the total shark catch reported globally.
  • The Coral Triangle—the nursery of the seas—is the world’s centre of marine life, encompassing around 6 million sq km of ocean across six countries in Asia-Pacific – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste. 
  • It is home to 76% of the world’s known coral species, 37% of the world’s coral reef fish species, and commercially-valuable species such as tuna, whales, dolphins, rays, sharks, including 6 of the world’s 7 known species of marine turtles. 
  • The Coral Triangle directly sustains the lives of more than 120 million people and contains key spawning and nursery grounds for tuna. Its reef and coastal systems also underpin a growing tourism sector. 
  • For information on Coral Triangle go to: www.panda.org/coraltriangle  ​​​​

WWF

WWF is an independent conservation organization, with over 30 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Visit www.panda.org/news for the latest news and media resources and follow us on Twitter @WWF_media.