Sharks Don’t Make List; Turtles, Sea Horses Do

A U.N. body has voted to restrict the international trade of big-leaf mahogany, sea horses and 26 species of sea turtles, but failed to pass legislation to protect two species of threatened sharks.

The 160 delegates at the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species voted overwhelmingly this week to limit trade of big-leaf mahogany by listing it as a threatened species.

Brazil, Bolivia and Peru -- the countries with the largest mahogany reserves -- opposed the initiative on the grounds that their conservation measures were sufficient to protect the tropical hardwood tree, which has been decimated in recent decades.

A U.S. initiative to protect sea horses, whose numbers have declined by as much as 95% in recent years because of overfishing to supply traditional medicine and aquarium industries, also passed unanimously.

The delegates also approved an initiative sponsored by China, the U.S. and Germany to restrict trade of 26 species of sea turtles whose numbers have declined precipitously from habitat destruction and pollution.

Delegates, however, failed to muster enough votes to pass two proposals to protect two shark species. The whale shark -- the world’s largest fish -- and its smaller cousin, the basking shark, have been hunted heavily for their fins, which are used in Asian cuisine.