Uncovering the Global Shark Meat Trade

This grant will support research led by Dr. Aaron MacNeil to understand the global shark meat trade. While the international trade in shark fins is relatively well understood, trade in non-fin products is not and presents a potentially substantial threat to shark populations driven by demand for food and the emergence of new markets tied to “fins attached” policies for fishers. Outputs from this project will range from global to regional, with a snapshot of global catch, consumption, import/export, and potential transshipment from important high capacity shark fishing nations — such as the United States, Canada, and Australia — as well as producing tools to facilitate on the ground collaborations in low capacity countries in the Indian Ocean, Indo-Pacific, Central and South America. The project will include three main areas of work:

1)  Developing a matrix of global shark meat trade including catch, import, export, and domestic consumption.

2)  Creation of tools to facilitate data collection from local markets, fishers, and trade operators in low capacity-high priority countries.

3)  Engagement with policy makers to disseminate national-level statistics to CITES and its Standing and Animal Committees, and more broadly among the global shark conservation community.