Although Discovery Channel showcases its Shark Week programming for only seven days each summer, sharks—along with rays—deserve year-round attention for their roles in maintaining a healthy ocean and providing economic benefits through ecotourism. After all, how much can you learn about sharks in a week?
For example, did you know that international demand for shark fins and meat, combined with inadequate conservation and management, has led to the worldwide overfishing of many shark populations? Or that each year, at least 63 million and as many as 273 million sharks are killed in commercial fisheries? That’s an unsustainable number that has driven some species toward extinction.
Okay, we’re done giving away answers. Time to test your knowledge about sharks and rays with our quiz.
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? What is the largest species of shark? (!img src=" /-/media/post-launch-images/2019/07/sharks-cites/whale-shark/16x9_m.jpg" !)Steve De Neef
+ Whale shark
! The whale shark is the world's largest living fish—it grows up to 40 feet long, the length of an average-size school bus. Whale shark tourism is worth an estimated US$47.5 million a year worldwide, yet these animals are highly vulnerable to fishing pressure because they are not abundant, are highly migratory, and are believed to reach reproductive maturity late in life. Fortunately, they have full protection under Appendix I and II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and additional safeguards through Appendix II of CITES, which requires the sustainable management and trade of this species.
- Basking shark
- Great white shark
- Oceanic whitetip shark
? True or false: Wedgefish and giant guitarfish are actually flat sharks. (!img src="/-/media/post-launch-images/2019/07/sharks-cites/flat-shark/16x9_m.jpg" !)Danny Copeland
+ True
! Wedgefish and giant guitarfish are sharklike rays. Sharks and rays are closely related—so closely, in fact, that rays are often referred to as flat sharks—and both have cartilage skeletons and float through the water because they have oil-rich livers, not the swim bladders on which other fish rely.
- False
? Which of the following species is the fastest swimmer? (!img src="/-/media/post-launch-images/2019/07/sharks-cites/mako-shark/16x9_m.jpg" !)Matthew D. Potenski
+ Shortfin mako shark
! Shortfin makos can reach estimated speeds of up to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour). But they can’t outswim the demand for their fins and meat, which has led to population declines of 60 to 96 percent in every major ocean. Mako sharks are classified as Endangered globally on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In August, governments will consider listing shortfin and longfin mako sharks under Appendix II of CITES to help advance sustainable management of these species.
- Narrow sawfish
- Scalloped hammerhead shark
- Bigeye thresher shark
? Which species’ fins sell for the highest amount? (!img src="/-/media/post-launch-images/2019/07/sharks-cites/guitarfish/16x9_m.jpg" !)Danny Copeland
- Giant manta ray
- Pelagic thresher shark
+ White-spotted wedgefish
! Wedgefish fins, which are large, are the most expensive of the fins sold in the global hub of Hong Kong and can sell for nearly US$1,000 per kilogram. With limited restrictions on fishing, the demand for wedgefish fins will drive continued overfishing and, in turn, additional declines globally, threatening the survival of these species, which are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Ten species of wedgefish are proposed for listing in Appendix II of CITES and could gain additional management and protection if the listings are adopted.
- Great hammerhead shark
? True or False: Most sharks can produce thousands of offspring in their lifetimes. (!img src="/-/media/post-launch-images/2019/07/sharks-cites/silky-shark/16x9_m.jpg" !)Jim Abernethy
- True
+ False
! Sharks grow slowly, mature later in life, and have few offspring. For example, a female shark that produced 10 pups every two years for 20 years would add only about 100 individuals to the population. In contrast, a female swordfish could produce millions of offspring in her lifetime. The biological traits of many sharks are actually more similar to those of large mammals than to other fish.
Related Experts
Jen Sawada
Senior Manager
Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy
Every May 2, people around the globe celebrate World Tuna Day. The United Nations set aside this day to recognize the cultural, ecological, and economic significance of tuna and to highlight the importance of managing these fish stocks sustainably.
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