Species Use Database

Shortfin mako shark
Isurus oxyrinchus

Used for Food and feed in Atlantic - northeast, Atlantic - northwest, Atlantic - southeast, Atlantic - southwest, Atlantic - western central, Indian Ocean - eastern, Indian Ocean - western, Mediterranean and Black Sea, Pacific - eastern central, Pacific - northeast, Pacific - northwest, Pacific - southeast, Pacific - southwest and Pacific - western central

A. Species

Scientific name: Isurus oxyrinchus

Common name(s): Shortfin mako shark

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Endangered


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Atlantic - northeast
  • Atlantic - northwest
  • Atlantic - southeast
  • Atlantic - southwest
  • Atlantic - western central
  • Indian Ocean - eastern
  • Indian Ocean - western
  • Mediterranean and Black Sea
  • Pacific - eastern central
  • Pacific - northeast
  • Pacific - northwest
  • Pacific - southeast
  • Pacific - southwest
  • Pacific - western central

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: Multi-Ocean level (timescale relates to the Atlantic Stock Assessment

Name/Details of location: Equitorial and temperate ocean regions around the earth


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 1950

End Year: 2014


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Targeted fishing harvesting/exploiting or collecting wild aquatic resources

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism and Only parts or products of the organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed

Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Largescale commercial exploitation for trade

Is this use legal or illegal?: Some use is legal and some is illegal


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: National / local government and International private sector


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: CITES-NDR

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The UK government determined the species to be of significant conservation concern requiring a high degree of precaution in making an NDF. Taking into consideration it’s conservation status, estimated levels of offtake and projected declines, and in accordance with the precautionary principle, the UK CITES Scientific Authority is unable to make a non-detriment finding for offtake of shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) sharks from all regions of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Furthermore, the UK recommends not accepting catch from either stock until the associated declines and trajectories are reversed and demonstrate stock recovery. However, in principle, the UK may be able to accept catch from the Pacific stock at current rates of offtake.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

This CITES NDF report broadly refers to recommendations made by ICCAT (The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas). The CITES Working Group recommended that minimum catch levels should not exceed the minimum catch in the last five years of the assessment. The Report of the Shark Species WG to ICCAT indicated that a TAC of 700 t would end overfishing immediately with a 57% probability, however this TAC (total allowable catch) would only have a 41% probability of rebuilding the stock by 2070. They further recommended, given the vulnerable biological characteristics of this stock and the pessimistic findings of the projections, to accelerate the rate of recovery and to increase the probability of success that the Commission adopt a non-retention policy as it has already done with other shark species.


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Non-detriment Finding by the UK CITES Scientific Authority
Isurus oxyrinchus (Shortfin mako).

Date of record entry: 2023-09-11