It is “historic”.
The conference on international trade in endangered species meeting in Panama took the decision on Friday to extend its protection to around fifty species of sharks threatened by the trafficking of shark fins, coveted for making soups in Asia.
This measure was not the easiest to pass.
The proposal to regulate the fishing and marketing of these species of requiem sharks and hammerhead sharks was the most discussed at this 19th Conference (COP-19) of the Convention on International Trade in Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which brings together 183 countries and the EU.
The shark fin market, whose center is in Hong Kong, exceeds half a billion dollars per year (483 million euros).
They can sell for 1,000 dollars per kilo in East Asia to make very famous soups of traditional Chinese cuisine.
Japan and Peru had tried, unsuccessfully, to exclude certain species of requiem sharks during a nearly three-hour debate.