Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis)

TAXONOMY AND NAMING

Class : Chondrichthyes
Subclass : Elasmobranchii
Order : Carcharhiniformes
Family : Carcharhinidae
Genus/species : Carcharhinus falciformis
Common names :
English : Silky shark
Spanish : Tiburon sedoso
French : Requin soyeux

silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis)©Alex Chernikh

DISTRIBUTION AND LIFE HISTORY

Silky sharks are found in the oceanic and coastal-pelagic habitats of tropical waters, often associated with seamounts, and juveniles with floating objects. Silky sharks often inhabit continental shelves and slopes from the surface to 500 m of depth. Older silky sharks are typically in oceanic waters, but often found more offshore near land than in the open ocean. Recent studies suggest there may be a distinctive population structure between the Northwest and Southwest Atlantic.

While silky sharks can be found in warmer tropical waters above 23˚C, they have been found to migrate according to temperature. The life history of the species is marked by slow growth and late maturation, which makes it vulnerable to overexploitation.

Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) geographic range©IUCN red list

THREATS

The Silky shark is the second most caught species of shark globally, after the Blue Shark. It is both targeted or caught as incidental (bycatch) by longline fisheries and purse seine fisheries as well as by artisanal fisheries. Also, the species is greatly threatened by international trade, as it is one of the three most traded shark species in the global shark fin trade.

The offshore pelagic and oceanic habitats of most silky shark populations are not currently directly affected by habitat loss and destruction, although climate change and rising sea temperatures may affect this species and their prey.

ABUNDANCE AND PROTECTION STATUS

Estimated declines of silky shark in the Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, range from 46-90%. The species is listed as Vulnerable globally and in the Northwest and Western Central Atlantic by the IUCN. Worldwide measures are being taken to prevent further depletion and help the species to recover.

SPAW Protocol : yes since 2019 _ Annex III

CITES : yes_ Annex II

International Plans of Actions for Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks) : yes since 1999

CMS : yes

Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (MoU) : yes since 2016_ Annex I

Highly Migratory Species, of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea Annex I : yes

Bibliography
Proposal for the listing of silky shark in the SPAW Annexes