31 October 2014: In the run up to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP11), the CMS Secretariat published an editorial highlighting the urgent need for global protection of sharks, noting that the shark-diving industry can be worth more than the shark-fishing industry.

The piece also recounts the number of efforts undertaken thus far to protect sharks, such as the Wild Aid campaign to reduce demand for shark fin across Asia and the development of new marine protected areas. The submission emphasizes that successful shark protection requires effective coordinated international action, and references the development of a Memorandum of Understanding under the auspices of the Convention. It also underscores that the CMS COP11 representatives will discuss extending the list of shark listed species to include the great and scalloped hammerheads, the silky shark, thresher sharks, sawfish, and mobula rays. [CMS News]