Hidden Diversity of Threatened Sharks and Rays in the Global Meat Trade

M. Aaron MacNeil; Christopher G. Mull; Ana Paula Barbosa Martins; Elizabeth A. Babcock; Zoya Tyabji; Alex Andorra; Shelley Clarke; Rima W. Jabado; Glenn Sant; Joshua E. Cinner; Jessica A. Gephart; Nicholas K. Dulvy; Arun Oakley-Cogan; Devanshi Kasana; Luke Warwick; Colin Ashley Simpfendorfer; Sarah Fowler; Marcio de Araújo Freire; Michel Bariche; Océane Beaufort; Joseph J. Bizzarro; Matías Braccini; João Bráullio de Luna Sales; Carlos Bustamante; John K. Carlson; Patrícia Charvet; J. M. Cuevas; Cézar Augusto Freire Fernandes; Daniel Fernando; Brittany Finucci

doi:10.1101/2025.04.24.650194

EcologybioRxivApr 24, 2025

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Hidden Diversity of Threatened Sharks and Rays in the Global Meat Trade

M. Aaron MacNeil iD, Christopher G. Mull iD, Ana Paula Barbosa Martins iD, Elizabeth A. Babcock iD, Zoya Tyabji iD, Alex Andorra, Shelley Clarke, Rima W. Jabado iD, Glenn Sant, Joshua E. Cinner iD, Jessica A. Gephart iD, Nicholas K. Dulvy iD, Arun Oakley-Cogan iD, Devanshi Kasana iD, Luke Warwick, Colin Ashley Simpfendorfer iD, Sarah Fowler iD, Marcio de Araújo Freire iD, Michel Bariche iD, Océane Beaufort, Joseph J. Bizzarro iD, Matías Braccini iD, João Bráullio de Luna Sales iD, Carlos Bustamante iD, John K. Carlson iD, , Demian D. Chapman iD

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Abstract

International wildlife trade is a major source of biodiversity loss, yet many species lie hidden within aggregated data that conceals trade impacts. We overcome this problem for the largest vertebrate wildlife trade globally - shark and ray meat - comprising 438 538 mt yr-1 across more than 150 species, 76% of which are Threatened. Revealed trade contains greater quantities of skates (+10%), hammerheads (+8%), and smoothhounds, dogfishes & tope (+5%), and fewer pelagic sharks (-38%) than previously known. Shorttail yellownose skate, smoothound, silky, mako, and blue sharks are the most underreported meat species, due to aggregated landings from China, Argentina, Japan, and Indonesia, demonstrating international trade in shark and ray meat as a diverse, pervasive, and previously hidden source of fishing mortality for many threatened species.