Tens of million sharks are caught every single year! An alarming annual loss - some shark species may have declined by as much as 80% in the past decade. For great white sharks declines of between 60 - and 95 % have been reported in different parts of the world in the last 50 years.
Great whites and their relatives are extremely sensitive to overexploitation. They grow slow and produce very few young in contrast to other fish. A female white shark matures after 12 to 18 years of age and after a gestation period of 12 to 18 months gives birth to only 2 to 10 pups. Disadvantageous conditions for a species to withstand targeted exploitation for long periods!
Hollywood's favourite predator faces several threats that could soon drive it to the brink of extinction: Intentional "sport" fisheries to supply jaws as "trophies" and teeth as souvenirs, incidental bycatch in commercial fisheries, reduced availability of some preys and habitat degradation.
The jaws and teeth of the famous shark are much sought-after and fetch high prices, and there is supposed to be a sizable black market network to perpetuate sales of white shark jaws and teeth. They are freely traded over the internet or brought as curious by tourists in countries like the UK or New Zealand. But the market is not only driven by curio seekers and tourist souvenirs, as often supposed, but also by sophisticated collectors willing to pay enormous prices to augment their collections. Despite the high prices - a jaw from South Africa was recently valued at 50.000 US-Dollars - demand for great white shark jaws among collectors remains high and specimens that come on the market are quickly sold.
Sad but true: Astronomic prices for white shark products provide a compelling economic incentive for fishermen and traders to supply the market. If we don't want to lose this creature of deep fascination better protection measures need to be established soon and for this we need much more research and your valuable support to continue our work!
Great whites and their relatives are extremely sensitive to overexploitation. They grow slow and produce very few young in contrast to other fish. A female white shark matures after 12 to 18 years of age and after a gestation period of 12 to 18 months gives birth to only 2 to 10 pups. Disadvantageous conditions for a species to withstand targeted exploitation for long periods!
Hollywood's favourite predator faces several threats that could soon drive it to the brink of extinction: Intentional "sport" fisheries to supply jaws as "trophies" and teeth as souvenirs, incidental bycatch in commercial fisheries, reduced availability of some preys and habitat degradation.
The jaws and teeth of the famous shark are much sought-after and fetch high prices, and there is supposed to be a sizable black market network to perpetuate sales of white shark jaws and teeth. They are freely traded over the internet or brought as curious by tourists in countries like the UK or New Zealand. But the market is not only driven by curio seekers and tourist souvenirs, as often supposed, but also by sophisticated collectors willing to pay enormous prices to augment their collections. Despite the high prices - a jaw from South Africa was recently valued at 50.000 US-Dollars - demand for great white shark jaws among collectors remains high and specimens that come on the market are quickly sold.
Sad but true: Astronomic prices for white shark products provide a compelling economic incentive for fishermen and traders to supply the market. If we don't want to lose this creature of deep fascination better protection measures need to be established soon and for this we need much more research and your valuable support to continue our work!
