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Uniting for Conservation
The Shark Summit is an annual event that is an invitation-only meeting of shark researchers, conservation foundations, policy experts, resource managers, funders, and other specialists from all over the world. While we call it “The Shark Summit”, we also consider the sharks’ relatives, the rays, in our plans. The meeting is part think-tank and part interface for people engaged in science, policy, and management/implementation of shark conservation. Each year the Summit’s objective is to develop and execute an evolving strategy to improve outcomes in global shark conservation.
Science reveals which management approaches have the greatest potential for Impact. With best practices agreed upon, implementation requires some combination of policy change, financing, capacity-building, and the involvement of national, regional, and international resource managers to execute. Scientists can then track the decline, recovery or growth of shark populations to ensure the approach is effective.
Success hinges on a diversity of expertise and viewpoints uniting for conservation, which is why we convene the Summit.
Did you know that there are over 1300 species of sharks (530 shark-770 ray). Over one third of them are threatened with extinction because of overfishing and other human pressures.
At least 100 million sharks and even more rays are killed per year for a variety of products including fins, exported to Asia for luxury soup, and meat, much of which is exported to Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America.
Sharks that live on coral reefs have declined on average by 63% globally, with a decline of around 70% for open ocean species. Even sharks in the deep sea are being caught so much that some species are on a path towards extinction.
If many sharks were to go extinct it would be a monumental loss for our oceans and the people that rely on them. Sharks are the apex predators and losing them can cause ripple effects that transform the ecosystem. Some shark species are important for dive tourism, supporting a multibillion industry that benefits coastal communities all over the world. And yes, some shark fishing is necessary to support food and livelihood security in some nations. For all these reasons we must stop the overfishing of sharks.
The Shark Summit is more than an event; it’s a movement towards thriving, diverse shark and ray populations in our oceans, living alongside and benefitting people. The Summit’s role is to facilitate collaboration and regular communication between people with diverse expertise and viewpoints to ensure our mission is achieved.
Sharks are threatened worldwide by overfishing, much of which is driven by international trade in valuable shark products like dried fins and meat. Our strategy hinges on helping establish and enforce international trade regulations through the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) that will leverage nations towards achieving either full protection or sustainable fishing and trade of sharks. Science tells us that the latter can be achieved using a combination of fishing gear restrictions, catch limits, and marine protected areas. Our organizers and attendees work on the ground in over 30 nations and attend high-level international conferences to execute our strategy, achieving policy and practical wins for shark conservation.
The Shark Summit was -conceived by Greg Manocherian (Roe Foundation), a shark conservationist with a long history of supporting international policy initiatives and conservation projects. He partnered Dr. Demian Chapman (Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium) and Luke Warwick (Wildlife Conservation Society) to develop and run the Summit.
The inaugural Shark Summit was held in January 2022 and was co-hosted by Wildlife Conservation Society and Mote Marine Laboratory. Attendees from all over the world – including the U.S., E.U., Sri Lanka, China, United Arab Emirates, and The Maldives- consolidated the science and developed a strategy for potential CITES Appendix II listings proposals for requiem and hammerhead sharks. The second Shark Summit was convened by the same team in January 2023. The meeting objective was to finalize the strategy behind CITES Appendix II listings proposals for requiem and hammerhead sharks. The third Shark Summit took place in March 2024 and was co-hosted by Global FinPrint and Shark Conservation Fund. Attendees were researchers and grassroots conservation practitioners from Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Belize, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines as well as funders and policy experts. The meeting objective was to assess the potential of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and fisheries management to help achieve shark conservation given the emerging synergy of the international obligations of shark CITES listings and international commitments to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030. Potential new shark MPA sites were discussed, and plans were made to survey sharks in 50 MPAs by 2025.
Basking, whale, and great white sharks are added to CITES Appendix II, bolstering widespread national protections of these iconic species with international
trade regulations
Five species of large shark that are common in the fin trade, including scalloped
hammerhead, are listed on CITES Appendix II
Six species of large shark that are common in the fin trade, including silky
shark, are listed on CITES Appendix II
Shark Summit begins, with the initial goal of helping to substantially expand
the number of sharks on CITES.
All requiem sharks and hammerhead sharks, more than 60 species total, are
listed on CITES Appendix II: OVER 90% OF THE GLOBAL FIN TRADE NOW LISTED
AND REQUIRE PERMITS TO TRADE ACROSS BORDERS
Shark Summit provides a forum for discussion on how to use Marine Protected
Areas to protect sharks as one way for countries to help meet their CITES obligations.
CITES listings mean that governments all over the world are obligated to better
protect sharks, with science telling us that banning catches nationwide or using a
combination of protected areas, fishing gear restrictions and/or catch limits can be
effective. The Shark Summit will continue to be a forum for experts to implement these and other measures to rebuild shark populations worldwide.
Basking, whale, and great white sharks are added to CITES Appendix II, bolstering widespread national protections of these iconic species with international trade regulations
Five species of large shark that are common in the fin trade, including scalloped hammerhead, are listed on CITES Appendix II
Six species of large shark that are common in the fin trade, including silky shark, are listed on CITES Appendix II
Shark Summit begins, with the initial goal of helping to substantially expand the number of sharks on CITES.
All requiem sharks and hammerhead sharks, more than 60 species total, are listed on CITES Appendix II: OVER 90% OF THE GLOBAL FIN TRADE NOW LISTED AND REQUIRE PERMITS TO TRADE ACROSS BORDERS
Shark Summit provides a forum for discussion on how to use Marine Protected Areas to protect sharks as one way for countries to help meet their CITES obligations.
CITES listings mean that governments all over the world are obligated to better protect sharks, with science telling us that banning catches nationwide or using a combination of protected areas, fishing gear restrictions and/or catch limits can be effective. The Shark Summit will continue to be a forum for experts to implement these and other measures to rebuild shark populations worldwide.
Did you know? While sharks may have a fearsome reputation, the reality is quite different. Take a look at the statistics.
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