Reluctance to give protection to a commercial fish led CITES delegates to
turn down calls from the US, Britain and Australia to set up controls on trade
in the great white, basking and whale sharks. “These three shark species are
more like large mammals than fish,” says British delegate Vin Fleming. “They are
slow-growing and give birth to live young after long gestation. That makes them
as vulnerable as elephants and tigers.”
Life
Save our sharks
By Fred Pearce
29 April 2000
