The Price of Fame: Cities Regulation and Efforts Towards International Protection of the Great White Shark
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THE PRICE OF FAME: CITES REGULATION AND EFFORTS
TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION OF THE
GREAT WHITE SHARK
Julie B. Martin*
I. INTRODUCTION
After several failed attempts, the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)
passed a proposal in October of 2004 to increase trade restrictions
on the Great White Shark (white shark), also known as
carcharodon carcharias, by placing it on Appendix II of its list of
protected species.' Trade in Appendix II species is restricted by
the requirement that states parties issue export permits for all spec-
imens or parts of specimens on the list.2 The adoption of this pro-
posal is controversial among CITES member nations because of
high market demands for white shark products.3 Although
research on white sharks is limited due in part to the elusive nature
of the species,4 all available research indicates that the population
of white sharks is decreasing; in some areas the decline is in large,
possibly unsustainable, numbers.5 This population decrease is par-
ticularly alarming because market demand remains a powerful
motivation for continued depletion.
* Law Clerk, United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces; Adjunct Profes-
sor of Scholarly Writing, George Washington University Law School. J.D. 2006, George
Washington University Law School; B.A. 2000, University of Michigan.
1. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and
Fauna [CITES], Notification to the Parties: Amendments to Appendices I and II of the Convention,
at 4, Notification No. 2004/073 (2004), http://www.cites.org/eng/notif/2004/073.pdf.
2. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and
Fauna art. IV, Mar. 3, 1973, 27 U.S.T. 1087, 993 U.N.T.S. 243 [hereinafter CITES].
3. See CITES Conference of the Parties, Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of
Appendices I and 11, at 26-40, CoP 13 Prop. 32 (2004) [hereinafter 2004 Proposal], http://
www.cites.org/eng/cop/13/prop/E13-P32.pdf (noting Japan's refusal to list the white
sharks in Appendix II because of the uncertain impact on international trade).
4. Wildlife Conservation Society, White Shark Carcharodon Carcharias: Status and Man-
agement Challenges, Conclusions of the Workshop on Great White Shark Conservation Research, at 3,
CITES A.C. 20 Inf. 1 (2004) [hereinafter Wildlife Conservation Society], www.cites.org/
common/com/ac/20/E20-inf-01.pdf.
5. Species Survival Network [SSN], Great White Shark: Carcharodon Carcharias, at 1
(2004) [hereinafter Species Survival Network], http://www.defenders.org/cites/gws.pdf.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/gwilr39&div=12&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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The Price of Fame: Cities Regulation and Efforts Towards International Protection of the Great White Shark
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