What Sharks are Protected Under What Laws?
There are over 1,000 shark and ray species on our blue planet, so we have not mapped out every single one, just the most “well known” species. To find out if your favorite shark or ray is protected, you can use the following resources and search engines: CITES, IUCN Red List, US Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA and CMS.
In a recent report update by the IUCN (April 2021), 39 shark and ray species were added to the Red List. Now, 355 shark species are included on the infamous list: 79 Critically Endangered, 112 Endangered, and 167 Vulnerable. These new statistics amount to 36% of all shark and ray species, a jarring 11% increase from 2014. Although less species are listed as Data Deficient, more shark species are listed as Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, and Critically Endangered. Upon further investigation, it seems that some species have been completely removed from the database. Whether this was intentional or not, we do not know yet.
White Sharks
Vulnerable and Decreasing listing on the IUCN Red List
CITES listing under Appendix II
Federally managed under the MSA
Listed under Appendix I and II of the CMS
Tiger Sharks
Near Threatened and Decreasing listing on the IUCN Red List
Not listed under CITES
Hammerhead Sharks
Scalloped, Scalloped Bonnethead, Great and Smalleye Hammerheads are listed as Critically Endangered and Decreasing on the IUCN Red List
Scalloped and Great Hammerheads are listed under Appendix II of the CMS
Scalloped Hammerhead listed as Threatened under ESA
Smooth Hammerheads are listed as Vulnerable and Decreasing on the IUCN Red List
Smooth Hammerhead is listed under Appendix I of the CMS
CITES listing under Appendix II
Whale Sharks
Endangered listing on IUCN Red List
CITES listing under Appendix II
Listed under Appendix I and II of the CMS
Bull Sharks
Near Threatened on IUCN Red List
Not listed under CITES
Nurse Sharks
Shortail Nurse Shark is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
Pacific Nurse Sharks are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List
Tawny and Atlantic Nurse Sharks are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
Not listed under CITES
Mako Sharks
Shortfin and Longfin Mako Sharks are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List
CITES listing under Appendix II
Listed under Appendix II of the CMS
Lemon Sharks
Vulnerable listing on the IUCN Red List
Not listed under CITES
Blue Sharks
Near Threatened listing on the IUCN Red List
Not listed under CITES
Basking Sharks
Endangered listing on the IUCN Red List
CITES listing under Appendix II
Listed under Appendix I and II of the CMS
Thresher Sharks
Pelagic Thresher Sharks are Endangered listing on the IUCN Red List
Common and Bigeye Thresher Sharks are Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
CITES listing under Appendix II
Listed under Appendix II of the CMS
Oceanic Whitetip Sharks
Critically Endangered listing on the IUCN Red List
CITES listing under Appendix II
Threatened listing under the ESA
Listed under Appendix I of the CMS
Blacktip Sharks
Near Threatened listing on the IUCN Red List
Not listed under CITES