Elasmobranch fishing and trade in Sarawak,Malaysia, with implications for management

1. Many shark and ray (elasmobranch) species are threatened with extinction, due to overfishing and commercial trade
2. Sarawak is situated in Malaysian Borneo in the Coral Triangle: a global priority region for elasmobranch conservation. Malaysia is the world’s eighth largest elasmobranch fishing nation, and Sarawak is one of Malaysia’s largest fishing states, yet there are limited species-specific data on catch and trade of elasmobranchs to support conservation and fisheries management decisions.
3. This study presents landing site and market survey data, collected in Sarawak from January 2017 to December 2019. Geographical, temporal and operational trends in volumes of catch and trade are explored; the total volume, value and species composition of Sarawak's local elasmobranch markets is estimated; and simple size-based indicators are used to assess the sustainability of elasmobranch utilization for several conservation-priority and frequently traded species, including Critically Endangered and CITES-listed scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) and bottlenose wedgefish (Rhynchobatus australiae).
4. The results conservatively estimate that >26,500 elasmobranchs (~90,000 kg) are locally traded in Sarawak annually, worth ~US$125,000 per year at the market level.
5. Trade is dominated by small to medium-sized coastal requiem sharks (Carcharhinidae) and stingrays (Dasyatidae), with endangered and CITES-listed species making up 26% and 32% of total landings and trade, respectively.
6. High proportions of immature individuals were recorded, with evidence of overfishing for several species, based on simple size-based indicators.
7. Several options are outlined for improving management of elasmobranch fishing and trade in the future, including spatio-temporal closures and live release protocols, which could help to reduce the mortality of critically endangered species and implement CITES. Such measures could have large conservation impacts with limited socio-economic cost, since these species make up <5% of the total value of the elasmobranch market. However, management plans need to be co-designed with full participation of affected coastal communities in order to be ethical and effective.