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Ten sharks that illustrate the global crisis include the oceanic whitetip, scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead, shortfin mako, whale, basking, angelshark, sand tiger, pondicherry and Ganges sharks. Their IUCN categories range from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered, but “endangered” is not one universal legal label. The IUCN Red List measures global extinction risk, national laws apply within particular jurisdictions, and CITES regulates international trade. Those systems can give the same species different designations.
The latest IUCN Shark Specialist Group assessment cycle estimated that 37% of known sharks, rays and chimaeras combined were threatened with extinction. That figure is not shark-only. Fishing—both directed catch and bycatch—is the broadest pressure, while habitat loss, pollution, climate effects and demand for meat, fins, skin, liver oil and cartilage add to the risk.
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Some sharks are Critically Endangered, some Endangered, and many others Vulnerable or Near Threatened. Under IUCN terminology, Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable are all “threatened” categories. A global IUCN category is an extinction-risk assessment, not a guarantee that every local population has the same status.
Statuses are dated assessments rather than permanent labels. The Shark Specialist Group says species are generally reassessed on roughly a ten-year cycle; a current Red List entry should therefore be checked before making management or purchasing decisions. NOAA also cautions that a U.S. Endangered Species Act listing does not automatically follow an IUCN designation.
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What is the difference between IUCN, national and CITES protection?
IUCN: evaluates a species’ extinction risk across its assessed global range. National law: can prohibit killing, possession or trade within a country, sometimes for a particular stock rather than the whole species. CITES: places international trade under permitting and documentation rules; a CITES Appendix listing is not an IUCN “endangered” category. NOAA’s shark-conservation overview explains the distinction.
CITES’ 2024 guide identifies traded shark and ray products including fins, meat, skins, liver oil and cartilage. Gill plates are a ray product, not a shark product. The guide’s trade controls do not by themselves prove that every individual in a listed species is illegally caught.
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The following set is a geographically varied illustration, not a definitive ranking. Categories are global IUCN assessments; assessment years can differ among species and may change when a new review is published. “Declining” refers to the assessed population trend or documented direction in the relevant range, not necessarily every local population.
| Species | Global IUCN category* | Main pressure | Typical range or habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oceanic whitetip | Critically Endangered | Pelagic longline bycatch and targeted catch | Open tropical and subtropical oceans |
| Scalloped hammerhead | Critically Endangered | Targeted fisheries, bycatch and fin trade | Warm coastal and offshore waters |
| Great hammerhead | Critically Endangered | Coastal fisheries and bycatch | Tropical shelves and lagoons |
| Shortfin mako | Endangered | Longline and other pelagic fisheries | Temperate and tropical open water |
| Whale shark | Endangered | Targeted catch, bycatch and vessel strikes | Tropical and warm-temperate seas |
| Basking shark | Endangered | Entanglement, bycatch and historical targeting | Temperate coastal and shelf waters |
| Angelshark | Critically Endangered | Bottom trawling and coastal net fisheries | Sandy seabeds and shallow continental shelves |
| Sand tiger shark | Critically Endangered | Coastal fishing and loss of nursery habitat | Warm-temperate and tropical coasts |
| Pondicherry shark | Critically Endangered | Small-scale nets, landing pressure and habitat degradation | Shallow coastal waters of the northern Indian Ocean |
| Ganges shark | Critically Endangered | River and estuarine fishing, pollution and altered flows | South Asian rivers and estuaries |
*Use the current IUCN Red List entry for each species’ assessment date and any regional qualification; categories are reassessed and can change.
1. Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)
This wide-ranging, slow-reproducing pelagic shark is caught in tuna and other longline fisheries, sometimes as bycatch and sometimes intentionally. Its large rounded fins made it especially vulnerable to trade demand, while the species’ broad ocean range makes recovery difficult to monitor. CITES trade controls and national catch limits apply in various jurisdictions, but effective enforcement and release of live bycatch remain crucial.
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2. Scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)
Scalloped hammerheads gather in coastal and offshore areas and are frequently captured in gillnets, longlines and purse seines. Their schooling behavior can concentrate many animals in one catch, and their fins are valuable in international trade. Management must protect nursery grounds and adult aggregation sites, not only prohibit finning at sea.
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The great hammerhead’s large size, late maturity and low reproductive output make losses hard to replace. Coastal fisheries, longlines and bycatch are the principal pressures cited for the species. Identification can be difficult when hammerheads are landed without a full body, so species-level catch records and safe-release rules matter.
4. Shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)
Shortfin makos are highly migratory and are taken in pelagic longline and other fisheries aimed at tuna, swordfish and billfish. Their meat is also marketed, so focusing only on fins misses an important part of the economic incentive. International cooperation is necessary because a shark protected in one country may be caught legally in another part of its range.
5. Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
The whale shark is the world’s largest fish but feeds mainly on plankton and small prey. Targeted fisheries have declined in many areas, yet bycatch, ship strikes, entanglement and disturbance around feeding sites continue to threaten recovery. Tourism can help fund conservation when operators follow approach-distance, no-touch and no-feeding rules; poorly managed encounters can injure animals and alter behavior.
6. Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus)
Basking sharks filter-feed in temperate seas and often aggregate where plankton is abundant. Historical fisheries sought their liver oil, meat and fins; today entanglement, vessel collisions and accidental capture remain concerns. Because they travel across national boundaries, protection of seasonal feeding and breeding areas must be coordinated.
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7. Angelshark (Squatina squatina)
Angelsharks have a flattened body and spend much of their time camouflaged on sandy bottoms, where bottom trawls and set nets can catch them before they are detected. Coastal development and disturbance of shallow nursery habitat compound fishing mortality. Closed areas, gear changes and careful release protocols are more useful than a fin-only policy for this seabed-dwelling shark.
8. Sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus)
Sand tiger sharks use shallow coastal waters, including caves, reefs and estuaries, and mature slowly. They are often caught in shore-based nets, line fisheries and trawls, while pups can be exposed in nursery areas. Regional populations may differ sharply: a protected population in one country does not make the global species secure.
9. Pondicherry shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon)
The pondicherry shark was historically recorded in shallow waters around the northern Indian Ocean but is now rarely observed. Small-scale coastal fisheries, intensive netting, habitat alteration and limited information all complicate recovery. When sightings are scarce, a lack of records should not be interpreted as evidence that the population has recovered; independent surveys and accurate species identification are essential.
10. Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus)
The Ganges shark is associated with riverine and estuarine systems in South Asia, environments heavily altered by fishing, pollution, dams and changes in freshwater flow. It is easily confused with other river sharks, so verified records are important. Protecting reaches used as nurseries and reducing accidental capture can be more effective than measures aimed solely at offshore trade.
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No. The IUCN Shark Specialist Group says finning—the removal of fins at sea followed by discarding the body—is not the largest or only threat, and that the term is often misused. Sharks can be killed for meat, caught accidentally in fisheries targeting other species, entangled in fixed gear, struck by vessels or displaced by habitat change even where finning is prohibited.
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Finning bans are still valuable because they improve utilization rules and enforcement, but they do not replace science-based catch limits, bycatch reduction, traceability and protection of nursery and aggregation areas. The IUCN reported in 2024 that the value of shark and ray meat was about 1.7 times the value of the global fin trade; the underlying report should be consulted for the precise comparison period.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Have sharks, rays or chimaeras gone extinct because of fishing?
Fishing has driven severe declines and local disappearances, but proving a global extinction requires extensive surveys across the entire historical range. The IUCN FAQ treats extinction as a separate question from threatened status and emphasizes that many species remain difficult to detect. A species can be functionally absent from a region while surviving elsewhere.
What can consumers and travelers do?
- Ask what species is being sold. “Shark” on a menu or label is not enough for traceability.
- Avoid products whose species and catch location cannot be documented. This includes meat, fins, cartilage supplements and novelty items.
- Choose responsible wildlife tourism. Follow operators’ distance and no-touch rules and never feed or ride a shark.
- Report protected-species violations to the relevant fisheries or wildlife authority rather than confronting fishers.
- Support habitat and bycatch work. Nursery protection, selective gear and reliable monitoring address more threats than a single anti-finning campaign.
How should you check a shark’s current status?
Start with the species’ current IUCN Red List assessment and note its assessment year, geographic scope, category and population trend. Then check the fisheries authority in the country where the shark was caught or observed, followed by the current CITES appendices for any proposed international trade. Do not substitute a CITES appendix for an extinction-risk category or assume that a national rule applies worldwide.
For identification and natural-history background, A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World: Second Edition from Princeton University Press is a useful field reference, while the Save Our Seas Foundation’s Shark Biology and Conservation provides broader scientific context. Neither should replace a current legal or Red List database.
How we selected these examples
The set prioritizes species representing different oceans, habitats and threat pathways: pelagic bycatch, coastal fisheries, bottom trawling, river alteration, vessel strikes and trade. It includes Critically Endangered and Endangered species and shows why Vulnerable is also a threatened IUCN category. It is not a numerical ranking, and a local population’s condition may differ from the global assessment.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of sharks are threatened with extinction?
The latest assessment cited by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group found 37% of known sharks, rays and chimaeras combined were threatened. It is not a shark-only percentage, and the figure reflects the 2020 assessment cycle.
Are shark products illegal everywhere?
No. Legality depends on the species, country, fishery, documentation and whether an international shipment requires a CITES permit. A product can be legal in one jurisdiction and prohibited or undocumented in another.
Which shark is the rarest?
Rarity is difficult to compare because some species are naturally uncommon and others are poorly surveyed. A Critically Endangered category signals very high global extinction risk, not a precise worldwide count or a definitive “rarest” ranking.
Can a shark be endangered in one country but not globally?
Yes. National laws may protect a local stock or population even when the global IUCN category is different. Always state the jurisdiction and assessment system when describing a status.
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