Species

Silky Shark

Carcharhinus falciformis

Species

Silky Shark

Carcharhinus falciformis

Assessment Information
Date of entry in Appendix II:
IUCN Status:
Near threatened
Taxonomy
Class:
Order:
Family:
The silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Near Threatened globally but Vulnerable in some regions due to continued declines in their populations around the world.
 
C. falciformis are migratory and found in oceanic and coastal habitats of tropical water. Silky sharks live in a variety of habitats throughout their life and have been found to migrate, regularly and cyclically crossing international borders. While they may not travel as much as other species, they may cover large distances in a short period of time (Clarke, C. et al. 2011). They exhibit particularly low productivity and show slow recovery from overexploitation. C. falciformis are vulnerable to fishing pressure, both directed and bycatch. Their fins are an important component of the global shark fin trade accounting for approximately 3.5 % of sharks in the Hong Kong market. C. falciformis populations have declined globally, with some regions experiencing declines of more than 90%.
 

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Geographic range

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Angola
Anguilla (UK)
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Benin
Brazil
British Virgin Islands (UK)
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Cameroon
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo (Brazzaville)
Costa Rica
Cuba
Côte d'Ivoire
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
French Guiana (France)
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guadeloupe (France)
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Honduras
India
Indonesia
Iran
Jamaica
Kenya
Liberia
Madagascar
Malaysia
Martinique (France)
Mauritania
Mexico
Montserrat (UK)
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
New Caledonia (France)
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines
Portugal
Puerto Rico (USA)
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Thailand
Togo
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
United Republic of Tanzania
United States of America
Venezuela
Viet Nam
Yemen

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