4. Assessment of Proposals

4.2 - Proposal 11.48. Great White shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
         (see Annex 2)

Currently not on the Appendices. Add to Appendix I pursuant to criteria Ai and Cii of Annex 1 (Resolution Conf. 9.24) (Australia; United States of America)

Status: The IUCN lists the global population of C. carcharias as Vulnerable (Criterion A1: a population reduction of at least 20% in three generations has been observed, estimated, inferred or suspected, based on (a) an index of abundance, (b) a decline in area of occupancy and/or quality of habitat, (d) actual or potential levels of exploitation; Criterion A2: the population reduction specified in A1 is suspected to continue to be met over the next three generations).

Trade: International trade seems largely limited to curio items, particularly teeth and jaws. Nevertheless, some fin trade is considered likely, as Hong Kong traders class them as high grade, and Taiwanese traders as medium grade (C. carcharias proposal).

Population size and declines: Most evidence of declines are from by-catch, sports fisheries and protective beach meshing programmes, and are anecdotal and unsupported by data (except at a local, short-term scale). In terms of meeting the criteria:

Annex 1, Criteria A. The wild population is small, and is characterised by ... i) an observed, inferred or projected decline in the number of individuals or the area and quality of habitat.

There is insufficient evidence to support Ai on a global level, because the wild population size appears to be considerably higher than the suggested numerical guideline of 5000; the Australian population alone has been estimated to number at least 10,000.

Annex 1, Criteria C. A decline in the number of individuals in the wild which has been ... ii) inferred or projected on the basis of levels or patterns of exploitation.

There is no evidence that the wild population has declined by >50% over two generations (as suggested in guidelines of criterion Cii, if conditions of A are not met). The Australian population has reportedly declined by about 10% over the past 3 generations (C. carcharias proposal), but it is unclear whether the current status is one of ongoing decline, given that local protective measures have been implemented. In South Africa, a decline in catch per unit effort (CPUE) from 3 to 1 sharks per kilometre of net per year over 5 years was followed by a stabilisation of the index over the next 20 years (FAO fact sheet).

There is no evidence to suggest it will meet Appendix I criteria in the next 5 years (criterion D).

Conclusion: Observed fluctuations in local numbers are likely to be linked, at least in part, to environmental factors and migration (i.e. natural process). It does not appear to meet the criteria for inclusion in Appendix I.