Photo: Shark League /FIS

Mexico Finally Enacts Bans on Threatened Atlantic Sharks, Fulfilling Decades-Old International Pledges

MEXICO
Friday, October 17, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Shark League Welcomes Overdue Protections for Mako, Hammerhead, and Oceanic Whitetip Species Under ICCAT Commitments

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Mexican government has officially adopted national regulations to protect several threatened Atlantic shark species, finally bringing the country into compliance with conservation commitments made to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) between 2009 and 2021. The move was welcomed by the Shark League, a coalition of conservation groups that had repeatedly scrutinized Mexico's failure to implement these international safeguards.

New Rules Target Major Shark Fishing Region

The new regulations, announced by the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, prohibit Mexican longline fisheries operating in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the ICCAT Convention Area from retaining, storing, transshipping, or landing (whole or parts of) five critically threatened or vulnerable shark groups.

If incidentally captured, these species must be released in the best possible condition for survival. The newly protected species include:

• Bigeye Thresher sharks (Alopias superciliosus)

• Oceanic Whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus), which are Critically Endangered

• Shortfin Mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus)

• Hammerhead sharks (Genus Sphyrna, excluding Sphyrna tiburo or bonnethead sharks)

• Silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis)

Sonja Fordham, President of Shark Advocates International (a project of The Ocean Foundation), stated, “Although long overdue, Mexico’s new shark protections have the potential to significantly bolster international conservation efforts for some of the Atlantic’s most imperiled species.”

Conservation Groups Urge Faster Action

Conservationists emphasized the delay in implementation, noting that most of these protections were granted by ICCAT well over a decade ago.

Ali Hood, Director of Conservation for the Shark Trust, noted the urgency: “We simply must pick up the pace and raise the priority for implementing these vital safeguards.”

Mexico, a major shark fishing and trading country, has frequently been flagged by the ICCAT Compliance Committee for lacking data and regulations regarding sharks. The country's hammerhead shark trade was even subject to special scrutiny in 2023 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Shannon Arnold, Associate Director for Ecology Action Centre, expressed hope that Mexico's action would motivate others. "Because effective international conservation of migratory species depends on follow up actions at the national level, we will continue to highlight gaps in countries’ compliance with ICCAT shark measures," she said. The ICCAT Compliance Committee is set to review adherence to shark conservation obligations at its meeting in Seville, Spain, in November.

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