The smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) shark has a broad, flat, un-notched head. The species has a widespread distribution in temperate seas of both hemispheres and in tropical seas in some regions, although it appears to be rare in several parts of its range.
Hammerheads are highly valued among fin traders and hammerheads are the second-most abundant species in the international fin trade. Hammerheads are generally not a target species but suffer high bycatch mortality. Smooth hammerhead sharks, along with great (Sphyrna mokarran) and scalloped hammerheads (S. lewini), are caught in a variety of fisheries including artisanal and small-scale commercial fisheries, bottom longlines as well as offshore pelagic longlines. Despite their distinctive characteristics, scalloped and smooth hammerhead sharks are often not distinguished from each other by harvesters. Abundance trend analyses of catch-rate data indicate large declines in abundance.
NOAA Fisheries Service produces an annual report on U.S. implementation the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000. The 2008 Annual Report to Congress is available online (note that this document does not reflect updates from 2009-2010): http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ia/intlbycatch/rpts_shark_finning.htm
SHARKS at CITES CoP15
The United States and co-sponsor Palau have submitted a proposal to list
scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in CITES Appendix II, with
the following species listed as “look-alikes” due to similar-looking
fins that are highly valued in the market:
• Great hammerhead sharks (S. mokarran);
• Smooth hammerhead sharks (S. zygaena);
• Dusky sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus); and
• Sandbar sharks (C. plumbeus).
The United States and Palau also submitted a proposal to list oceanic
whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) in CITES Appendix II.
In comparison to other marine species, sharks are slow to mature and produce few young, making them especially vulnerable to overfishing. The greatest threats to both the scalloped hammerhead and oceanic whitetip sharks are harvest for the international fin trade and bycatch, which have resulted in significant population declines for both species. Shark fins are highly valued particularly in Asia and Asian markets around the world, where fins are consumed primarily as shark fin soup. The United States has proposed CITES Appendix-II listings for these shark species to ensure that international trade, including trade in their fins, is legal and sustainable.
A CITES Appendix-II listing does NOT prohibit harvest; it requires
regulation of international trade. Should these listing proposals be
adopted, sharks taken within a country’s own Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ) for domestic consumption would not be regulated by CITES. Sharks
taken within a country’s own EEZ and subsequently exported, and sharks
taken on the high seas would be subject to CITES requirements.
http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/15/prop/E-15-Prop-15.pdf
There is also a progress report and recommendations regarding the conservation and management of sharks and stingrays:
• Conservation and management of sharks and stingrays
http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/15/doc/E15-07-02-01.pdf
