Species Use Database

Silky shark
Carcharhinus falciformis

Used for Food and feed in New Zealand and Pacific - southwest

A. Species

Scientific name: Carcharhinus falciformis

Common name(s): Silky shark

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Vulnerable


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • New Zealand
  • Pacific - southwest

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: New Zealand


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2013

End Year: 2018


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

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed

Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)

Is this use legal or illegal?: Illegal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: National / local private sector 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?: No, sustainability not determined

Details of assessment carried out: CITES NDF Report

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: As long as Conservation Management Measure 2013-08 of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission remains in force, it is not possible to issue a non-detriment finding for any silky shark products being commercially traded, whether obtained from the New Zealand EEZ or from the high seas to the north of New Zealand, because such product would not be legally acquired.

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

Convention measures promote the live release of silky sharks as soon as possible, and collection of data about the numbers released alive or discarded dead. An exception is made in Paragraph 5 of CMM 2013-08 whereby observers shall be allowed to collect biological samples from silky sharks caught in the Convention Area that are dead on haulback, provided that the samples are part of a research project approved by the WCPFC’s Scientific Committee


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2018-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

New Zealand non-detriment finding for silky shark
Carcharhinus falciformis.
Hugh A Robertson
New Zealand Scientific Authority for CITES
Biodiversity Group
Department of Conservation
NEW ZEALAND

Date of record entry: 2023-09-13