Pelagic Fish - Threatened Species

Threatened Species

In 2009, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) produced the first red list for threatened oceanic sharks and rays. They claim that about one third of open ocean sharks and rays are under threat of extinction. There are 64 species of oceanic sharks and rays on the list, including hammerheads, giant devil rays and porbeagle.

Oceanic sharks are captured incidentally by swordfish and tuna high seas fisheries. In the past there were few markets for sharks, which were regarded as worthless bycatch. Now sharks are being increasingly targeted to supply emerging Asian markets, particularly for shark fins, which are used in shark fin soup.

The northwest Atlantic Ocean shark populations are estimated to have declined by 50 percent since the early 1970s. Oceanic sharks are vulnerable because they don't produce many young, and the young can take decades to mature.

• The scalloped hammerhead is classified as endangered

• The oceanic whitetip shark has declined by 99 percent in the Gulf of Mexico

• The devil fish, a large ray, is also threatened

• So is the porbeagle shark

In parts of the world the scalloped hammerhead shark has declined by 99 percent since the late 1970s. Its status on the red list is that it is globally endangered, meaning it is near extinction.