Expanding catches of sharks and potential negative impacts on shark populations prompted a proposal at the Twenty-second Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in March 1997 that FAO organize an expert consultation to develop Guidelines leading to a Plan of Action to be submitted at the next Session of the Committee aimed at improved conservation and management of sharks.
The International Plan of Action for Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-SHARKS) was developed through the meeting of a Technical Working Group on the Conservation and Management of Sharks in Tokyo from 23 to 27 April 1998 and the Consultation on Management of Fishing Capacity, Shark Fisheries and Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries held in Rome from 26 to 30 October 1998 and its preparatory meeting held in Rome from 22 to 24 July 1998.[read more]
Database of measures
The database provides a collection of instruments for the conservation and management of sharks.
These instruments include binding and non-binding Conservation and Management Measures, Plans of Action, and national legislation.
Software: iSharkFin
12/11/2022
iSharkFin is an expert system that uses machine learning techniques to identify shark species from shark fin shapes. The software was developed by FAO in collaboration with the University of Vigo with financial support from the Government of Japan and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Aimed at port inspectors, custom agents, fish traders and other users without formal taxonomic training, iSharkFin allows the identification of shark species from a picture of the fin.
Publications
Small but mightily important
2025
Voracious predators and key forage for sharks, seabirds and marine mammals small tunas have an outsized role within marine food webs as well as providing...
Review of the state of world marine fishery resources – 2025
2025
Marine fisheries are crucial to the food security and nutrition, economy and overall well-being of coastal communities.
A study of shark and ray non-fin commodities in Peru
2024
The study undertaken for this report analysed the value chains of shark and ray non-fin commodities in Peru to determine trade, flow and context in...