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):
- Sri Lanka
- Indian Ocean - western
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: Sri Lanka
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 1990
End Year: 2015
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 and Decorative and aesthetic
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law and Some use is legal and some is illegal
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and Non-local External
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: Insufficient information, although this non-detriment finding concludes silky shark fishing in Sri Lankan waters should be permissible, with conditions.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic 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: Reported export of shark fins (all species combined) in 2016from Sri Lanka: 36 t. Average 2013–2016: 35.2 t. Value of exported shark fins in 2016: LKR 133 million. From 2009-2015, the quantity of shark fins exported annually from Sri Lanka has varied from 32 - 91 tonnes at a value ranging from LKR 128-231 million. Shark fins have been exported from Sri Lanka since the late 1960s and trade has developed rapidly since the 1990’s due to demand and its high economic value. In 1999 the country exported about 89 tonnes of shark fins worth LKR 170 million (about US$ 1.1 million). The shark fin industry in Sri Lanka is poorly documented and the only source of information available are export figures maintained by Sri Lanka Customs. The retail value of fins varies with species, fin type condition, and regional preference. In 2009, the fins were exported to 6–10 countries.
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?: 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: Fisheries are required to land fish belonging to the species of shark or skate while the fins of such species of fish are attached to such fish. Landing the fins which have been removed from any fish belonging to the species of shark or skate is prohibited. Penalty for non-compliance with this requirement is imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding LKR 50 000 or both such imprisonment and fine.
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
Population monitoring: Maintain and if possible expand observer programmes to improve species-specific data on size, sex, and maturity composition of catches and discard levels. (e.g. the programme recently implemented by Sri Lanka’s NARA (National Aquatic Resources Research & Development Agency) and DFAR (Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources). Research: Investigations into key biological/ecological parameters, life-history and behavioural traits, discard survival, and the identification of potential mating, pupping and nursery grounds. Socio-economic studies on shark fisheries, trade, and alternative livelihoods. Fisheries monitoring: Improved species-specific fisheries data on catches (including discards) and landings are needed to ensure harmonisation of data from different sources (e.g. IOTC and FAO). Look into establishing an informal communication group (e.g. WhatsApp) consisting of shark identification experts (both local and international), in order to identify sharks and/or shark products with a camera photo at short notice. Monitoring of domestic and international trade: Implementation of specific catch or trade documentation schemes for sharks. New data collection initiatives to quantify more precisely silky shark fin exports and identify and monitor silky shark fin and meat products at species level. Pursue with Sri Lanka Customs on the request to introduce HS codes for all shark products to collect better data on imports and exports. Improve present methodology for the random sampling of fins for export in conjunction with Sri Lanka Customs. Looking into the options or necessity of developing a risk index for exporters that will enable screening of high risk exporters upon receival of export permit request.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2014-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2023-09-18