- A team of scientists has monitored the movement of 47 silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) tagged with satellite trackers in the Galápagos Marine Reserve off Ecuador.
- They observed that the sharks travel longer distances than previously known and spend long periods of time in unprotected areas that have a high degree of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
- This leaves them vulnerable to fishing pressure, the researchers say. Silky sharks are the second most commonly sold species in the international shark fin trade.
- Although governments are expanding and connecting protected areas in the region, experts say better management of the oceans and of fishing is needed to save threatened shark species from extinction.
These results match those of a 2020 scientific study that identified which species the fins in the markets of Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China, came from. After analyzing the DNA of 12,000 fin samples, the scientists concluded that around 90 shark species are traded but five dominate the business: blue sharks (Prionace glauca), followed by silky sharks, then scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini), smooth hammerheads (S. zygaena) and shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus). The last four are all threatened species on the IUCN Red List.
According to a press release from Save Our Seas Foundation, a philanthropic organization that carries out scientific research, “[f]ins from up to two million silky sharks contribute to the global fin trade every year.” These sharks face pressure from the fishing industry, which has reduced their populations dramatically, to the point of being considered vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Maps of sharks’ journeys show marine protected areas alone won’t save them