CITES CoP20 Outcomes for Sharks and Rays
At the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to CITES, governments adopted the most comprehensive set of trade protections for sharks and rays in the treaty’s history. All shark and ray proposals presented at the meeting were passed, expanding international protections to more than 70 additional species.
These decisions strengthen global oversight of the trade in shark and ray products and represent a major step toward ensuring international trade is legal and sustainable.
CoP20 Decisions at a Glance
At CoP20, governments adopted several new listings and trade measures to strengthen protections for sharks and rays. Together, these decisions expand international oversight of the global trade in shark and ray products and close key regulatory gaps.
The decisions include:
Photo by Reneta Romeo
3 Appendix I Listings:
Oceanic whitetip shark, Manta and mobula rays, Whale shark
Prohibiting international commercial trade in species that have suffered severe population declines.
Photo by Reneta Romeo
2 Zero Export Quotas under Appendix II:
Wedgefishes, Giant guitarfish
These families are now recognized as the most threatened of all sharks and rays.
Photo by Andy Much
2 Appendix II listings:
Gulper sharks, Smoothhound sharks
A genus-wide listing for smoothhounds and a family-level listing for gulpers closed major enforcement gaps, bring long-overdue oversight to these trades, and support sustainable management for overexploited species.
Implementation tools and training workshops are available to assist governments implementing these new listings, including visual identification guides, genetic testing tools, and Non-Detriment Finding guidance.
Champion governments who led these new CITES listings include (in alphabetical order):
