Sahrk in an Aquarium

In just 40 years populations of the smalltail shark, Carcharhinus porosus, plummeted by 90% in Brazil due to rampant overfishing. Small-scale, artisanal fishers using gillnets and industrial-fishing operations with trawl nets that regularly reach up to 5.5 miles in length have pushed the species close to extinction. Most of the sharks caught are juveniles. The loss of so many immature sharks from the population removes any chance they’d get to breeding age and perpetuate the species. Although IUCN Red List identifies the species as “data deficient,” meaning its extinction risk hasn’t been fully assessed on a global level. Brazil recognized the threats to these sharks a few years ago and has declared them critically endangered in their waters.