Forum Eco-Citoyen - Environnement et Ecologie

The largest threat to sharks and rays may come from their incidental capture in other fisheries. Over six million blue sharks have been taken annually from the world's oceans over the past few years, most as incidental bycatch in high seas fisheries for other species of fish.

Overall, it has been estimated that some 100 million sharks have been taken annually from the sea in recent years. Most of these are landed from multi-species fisheries or taken as bycatch, rather caught by fisheries targeting sharks. The numbers of rays taken in fisheries have not been estimated.

The growth in many of these fisheries has been driven, at least in part, by the recent huge expansion of demand in international trade for shark products, particularly for fins to supply the East Asian shark fin soup market.