Several shark species and the manta ray won international trade protection on Monday in a move hailed by conservationists as a breakthrough in efforts to save them from being wiped out by over fishing. The deal at a major wildlife conference in Bangkok marked a rare victory in the fight by environmentalists to reverse shark population slump due to rampant demand for its fins. Rather than a complete ban, the 178-member Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted to restrict cross-border trade in the oceanic white tip, the porbeagle, three types of hammerheads and the manta ray.

Sharks, manta rays win global trade protection. (2013, March 15-16). BusinessWorld, pp. S3/9.