UN Seeks CITES Protected Status For Great White Shark

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BANGKOK — "A U.N. conference endorsed a proposal on Tuesday to slap controls on trade in the ocean's most feared predator, the great white shark of Jaws fame.

Conservationists hailed the move as an important step toward protecting the animal, a living torpedo with teeth who has killed surfers and swimmers but has suffered greatly at the hands of humans.

"This will contribute significantly to great white shark conservation," said Nicola Beynon of Humane Society International, which had campaigned for the proposal. "Now we have an opportunity to ensure trade in great white body parts is regulated sustainably."

The decision made at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), places the great white on CITES Appendix II — which regulates strictly but does not outright ban trade — at the behest of Australia and Madagascar. For example, it does not ban sport fishing, but countries that wish to export great white body parts must convince CITES that such trade is not detrimental to the species, which will require further study of its little-known numbers."

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