This selleck compound trend has been particularly pronounced for sharks, largely due to their inherent vulnerability, and an increasing demand, particularly for their fins, in the Asian market [1], [2], [3] and [4]. As such, many shark species are comparable

to great whales, which also have late maturity, slow growth and low reproductive rates, and experienced escalating global fishing pressure until a global whaling moratorium came into effect in 1986 [5]. Similar to whales, quantifying the precise extent of sharks’ decline, the risk of species extinction, and the consequences for marine ecosystems have been challenging and controversial, mostly due to data limitations [4], [6], [7] and [8]. A key problem is the incomplete reporting of shark catches to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which tracks the status of fisheries worldwide. Caught sharks are often not landed and are instead discarded at sea [7] and [9], AZD6244 price with such discards not usually reported to national or international management agencies unless there are trained observers on board. Compounding this problem is the practice of

shark finning, where the animal’s fins are removed prior to the body being discarded at sea [9]. Due to the high value of the fins in Asian markets this practice is globally widespread. Some jurisdictions, such as Canada, the United States, Australia, and Europe have gradually introduced anti-finning legislation over the last 10 years, yet the

practice continues in most other parts of the world [2]. Therefore it is very likely that reported catches represent only a fraction of total shark mortality. For example, Clarke et al. [9] used trade auction records from Hong Kong to estimate that the aminophylline total mass of sharks caught for the fin trade. Estimates ranged between 1.21 and 2.29 Mt (million metric tons) yr−1 with a median estimate of 1.70 Mt yr−1 in the year 2000. This amounted to more than four times the reported shark catch from FAO at that time [9]. Notwithstanding these problems, the FAO, among other management bodies, has long recognized the conservation challenges associated with sharks and their relatives, and it launched an International Plan of Action for Sharks in 1999 (IPOA-Sharks, which also includes skates, rays, and chimaeras). This plan aims to enhance the conservation and management of sharks and their sustainable use, while improving data collection and the monitoring and management of shark fisheries [10]. The IPOA-Sharks further recommends that all states contributing to fishing mortality on sharks should participate in its management, and should have developed a National Shark Plan by 2001. However, progress remains disappointing so far, with limited adoption and implementation of IPOA goals at the national level [2] and [11].