Swayed by strong support from Latin American nations, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) voted March 14 to restrict trade in five species of threatened shark and two species of manta ray. The 177-nation convention, which meets every three years, had previously been unable to reach a decision on protecting the sharks, which are in steep decline because of the multibillion dollar trade in shark fins, used primarily in Asia for shark-fin soup. The population of manta rays also has fallen dramatically because of the demand for their gill plates in Chinese medicine. The decision at this year’s Cites meeting, held in Bangkok March 3-14, was made possible by determined Latin American support for the... [Log in to read more]