WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a legal petition today urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to take action against Mexico under the Moratorium Protection Act for failing to meet U.S. shark conservation standards. Mexico is one of the world’s largest shark fishing and export nations.

Today’s petition calls on the United States to hold Mexico accountable for failing to adopt laws that require fins to remain naturally attached and prohibit the shark fin trade. These measures are essential to preventing the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning, which often involves cutting off the fins and dumping the rest of the shark back into the ocean.

Mexico’s lack of a national ban on the possession, sale, or trade of shark fins also leaves it out of step with U.S. standards established by the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, enacted in late 2022.

“Mexico’s weak rules are just not enough to stop the scourge of shark finning,” said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center. “By not requiring fishers to keep fins attached to sharks’ bodies, Mexico isn’t meeting U.S. standards or the growing norm across the world. Sharks are paying a steep price for Mexico’s lax approach, and the harms ripple across the entire ocean food chain.”

Over the past 50 years, industrial offshore fishing has reduced the abundance of oceanic sharks by more than 70%. Many sharks play the critical ecological role of apex predator, and their decline and disappearance alter their entire ecosystem.

Mexico brought in more than 46,000 tons of sharks in 2023 alone, mostly from the Pacific Ocean. Its fisheries capture thousands of vulnerable silky sharks each year, as well as critically endangered oceanic whitetip sharks and scalloped hammerheads.

Many nations have adopted regulations requiring fins to remain attached to carcasses, and the United States has outright banned the possession and trade of shark fins. But Mexico’s regulations remain outdated.

Under the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act, the National Marine Fisheries Service must identify any nation that fails to adopt conservation measures comparable to the United States. If a nation does not respond by adopting sufficient regulations within two years, the U.S. government can impose trade sanctions on fish imports from that country.

Today’s petition urges the Service to identify Mexico under the MPA for failing to adopt shark finning regulations comparable to the United States’ and asks the agency to initiate consultations with Mexico to prompt reform.

By taking these actions, the Service can help close a serious gap in international shark conservation and ensure countries are not rewarded for continuing finning under weak rules, the Center’s petition notes.