Overview
- Delegates approved tighter controls for more than 70 shark and ray species, including new trade bans for whale sharks as well as manta and devil rays, with additional species limited to verified sustainable trade.
- The oceanic whitetip shark was moved to Appendix I in a 100–22 vote, imposing a global commercial trade ban.
- A bid by the EU and Panama to place all 17 eel species on Appendix II failed, with nearly three-quarters of countries voting against it.
- Backers argued a broad listing was needed because juvenile eels in trade are hard to distinguish by species, risking illegal movement of the endangered European eel.
- Japan and several African states opposed the eel measure over administrative burdens, pricing and smuggling concerns, as Interpol reports a multibillion-dollar illicit eel market; delegates agreed to pursue better data and continued talks.