IUCN Species of the Day: Oceanic Whitetip Shark

 

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(tm)

Photo credit: Stella Covre

 

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark, Carcharhinus longimanus, is listed as ‘VULNERABLE’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. This migratory predator is one of the most widespread shark species, ranging across tropical and subtropical waters in all oceans.

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark suffers from fishing pressure throughout most of its geographic range, with large numbers being caught as by-catch in pelagic fisheries. The shark’s large fins are highly prized in international trade, being sold to the Far East to make shark fin soup. Although classified as Vulnerable overall, this species has been assessed as Critically Endangered in the Northwest and Western Central Atlantic, as a result of massive population declines due to by-catch in tuna and billfish fisheries.

Due to the threatening impact of the shark fin trade, steep declines in abundance indices and its highly migratory nature, this species is a suitable candidate for listing under both Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

 

Geographic Range of the Oceanic Whitetip SharkCredit: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™

 

To learn more about the Oceanic Whitetip Shark, click here.  Or visit the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ by clicking their logo below.

 

Bookmark    and Share 

To learn more about the Bush Warriors “Species of the Day” feature, please click here and read up on our initiative to raise awareness about the loss of earth’s biodiversity.

 

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedin