State of Global Market for Shark Products

Global Flow Trends and Recommendations for Improving Management

See how shark fins and meat move from country to country, and what actions could improve the sustainability of shark fishing and trade.

global trade flows

SHARK FINS
Argentina (AR)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 167 tonnes

Australia (AU)

Import Partners Thailand: 268 tonnes

Brazil (BR)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 161 tonnes

China (CN)

Import Partners Hong Kong: 2,395 tonnes
Philippines: 170 tonnes
Spain: 156 tonnes

Export Partners Hong Kong: 231 tonnes
Taiwan: 194 tonnes

Costa Rica (CR)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 307 tonnes

Ecuador (EC)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 172 tonnes

Hong Kong (HK)

Import Partners Argentina: 167 tonnes
Brazil: 161 tonnes
China: 231 tonnes
Costa Rica: 307 tonnes
Ecuador: 172 tonnes
India: 155 tonnes
Indonesia: 716 tonnes
Japan: 184 tonnes
Mexico: 250 tonnes
Peru: 169 tonnes
Singapore: 1,209 tonnes
Spain: 2,424 tonnes
Taiwan: 909 tonnes
Thailand: 164 tonnes
Trinidad Tobago: 186 tonnes
United Arab Emirates: 478 tonnes
United States: 245 tonnes
Yemen: 300 tonnes

Export Partners China: 2,395 tonnes
Japan: 210 tonnes
Taiwan: 221 tonnes
Vietnam: 1,439 tonnes

India (IN)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 155 tonnes

Indonesia (ID)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 716 tonnes
Japan: 335 tonnes
Singapore: 157 tonnes
Vietnam: 512 tonnes

Japan (JP)

Import Partners Hong Kong: 210 tonnes
Indonesia: 335 tonnes
Thailand: 2,981 tonnes

Export Partners Hong Kong: 184 tonnes

Malaysia (MY)

Import Partners Thailand: 1,138 tonnes

Export Partners Singapore: 160 tonnes

Mexico (MX)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 250 tonnes

Myanmar (MM)

Import Partners Thailand: 383 tonnes

Peru (PE)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 169 tonnes

Philippines (PH)

Export Partners China: 170 tonnes

Russia (RU)

Import Partners Thailand: 609 tonnes

Singapore (SG)

Import Partners Indonesia: 157 tonnes
Malaysia: 160 tonnes
Taiwan: 153 tonnes
Thailand: 250 tonnes

Export Partners Hong Kong: 1,209 tonnes

Spain (ES)

Export Partners China: 156 tonnes
Hong Kong: 2,424 tonnes

Taiwan (TW)

Import Partners China: 194 tonnes
Hong Kong: 221 tonnes
Thailand: 246 tonnes

Export Partners Hong Kong: 909 tonnes
Singapore: 153 tonnes

Thailand (TH)

Export Partners Australia: 268 tonnes
Hong Kong: 164 tonnes
Japan: 2,981 tonnes
Malaysia: 1,138 tonnes
Myanmar: 383 tonnes
Russia: 609 tonnes
Singapore: 250 tonnes
Taiwan: 246 tonnes
United States: 363 tonnes

Trinidad Tobago (TT)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 186 tonnes

United Arab Emirates (AE)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 478 tonnes

United States (US)

Import Partners Thailand: 363 tonnes

Export Partners Hong Kong: 245 tonnes

Vietnam (VN)

Import Partners Hong Kong: 1439 tonnes
Indonesia: 512 tonnes

Yemen (YE)

Export Partners Hong Kong: 300 tonnes

global trade flows

SHARK products
Argentina (AR)

Export PartnersSouth Korea: 3,168 tonnes

Belize (BZ)

Export PartnersCosta Rica: 1,328 tonnes

Brazil (BR)

Import PartnersSpain: 2,800 tonnes
Taiwan: 1,569 tonnes
Uruguay: 12,937 tonnes

Canary Islands (CI)

Import PartnersJapan: 1,130 tonnes

Chile (CL)

Export PartnersSouth Korea: 1,856 tonnes

China (CN)

Import PartnersSpain: 1,861 tonnes
Thailand: 1,524 tonnes

Costa Rica (CR)

Import PartnersBelize: 1,328 tonnes

Export PartnersMexico: 2,701 tonnes

Ecuador (EC)

Export PartnersPeru: 2,020 tonnes

France (FR)

Import PartnersUnited States: 1,520 tonnes

Export PartnersItaly: 1,128 tonnes

Greece (GR)

Import PartnersSpain: 1,504 tonnes

Hong Kong (HK)

Import PartnersSingapore: 1,033 tonnes

Indonesia (ID)

Export PartnersTaiwan: 1,047 tonnes

Italy (IT)

Import PartnersFrance: 1,128 tonnes
Spain: 6,283 tonnes
Vietnam: 1,204 tonnes

Japan (JP)

Export PartnersCanary Islands: 1,130 tonnes
South Africa: 1,504 tonnes
Spain: 1,106 tonnes
Uruguay: 1,749 tonnes

South Korea (SK)

Import PartnersArgentina: 3,168 tonnes
Chile: 1,856 tonnes
Taiwan: 1,265 tonnes
United States: 1,337 tonnes
Uruguay: 1,305 tonnes

Mexico (MX)

Import PartnersCosta Rica: 2,701 tonnes
Taiwan: 1,913 tonnes

Namibia (NA)

Export PartnersSpain: 2,038 tonnes

Panama (PA)

Export PartnersUnited States: 1,395 tonnes

Peru (PE)

Import PartnersEcuador: 2,020 tonnes

Portugal (PT)

Import PartnersSpain: 1,863 tonnes

Export PartnersSpain: 6,054 tonnes

Singapore (SG)

Export PartnersHong Kong: 1,033 tonnes

South Africa (ZA)

Import PartnersJapan: 1,504 tonnes

Export PartnersUruguay: 1,330 tonnes

Spain (ES)

Import PartnersJapan: 1,106 tonnes
Namibia: 2,038 tonnes
Portugal: 6,054 tonnes

Export PartnersBrazil: 2,800 tonnes
China: 1,861 tonnes
Greece: 1,504 tonnes
Italy: 6,283 tonnes
Portugal: 1,863 tonnes
Uruguay: 1,419 tonnes

Taiwan (TW)

Import PartnersIndonesia: 1,047 tonnes

Export PartnersBrazil 1,569 tonnes
South Korea: 1,265 tonnes
Mexico: 1,913 tonnes
Uruguay: 9,822 tonnes
Vietnam: 1,412 tonnes

Thailand (TH)

Import partners: Indonesia: 1,047 tonnes

Export partners: Brazil 1,569 tonnes
South Korea: 1,265 tonnes
Mexico: 1,913 tonnes
Uruguay: 9,822 tonnes
Vietnam: 1,412 tonnes

United States (US)

Import PartnersPanama: 1,395 tonnes

Export PartnersFrance 1,520 tonnes
South Korea: 1,337 tonnes

Uruguay (UY)

Import PartnersJapan: 1,749 tonnes
South Africa: 1,330 tonnes
Spain 1419 tonnes
Taiwan: 9,822 tonnes

Export PartnersBrazil 12,937 tonnes
South Korea: 1,305 tonnes

Vietnam (VN)

Import PartnersTaiwan 1,412 tonnes

Export PartnersItaly 1,204 tonnes

Recommendations for Improving Management

A
National customs and statistical authorities should implement separate commodity codes for the four main shark fin products: unprocessed dried, processed dried, unprocessed frozen and processed frozen fins.
B
National authorities should maintain integrated trade and fishery datasets for shark and ray products to allow for proper and efficient enforcement against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
C
Countries should advance cooperation between their national fisheries management authorities and their national Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) authorities by ensuring that data recording systems are species-specific for both fisheries and trade as well as shared appropriately.
D
Intergovernmental organizations such as CITES, RFMOs, and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) should consider establishing formal liaison and data-sharing protocols on species of shared interest.
E
Fishers, traders, distributors, and retailers should actively participate in constructing trade monitoring systems that support sustainable and traceable fishery and trade practices.