References

The international trade of live wild dolphins from the Solomon Islands offers a quintessential example of how data gaps affect decisions about trade regulation. Conservationists have challenged this trade on the basis that there are limited data on local dolphin populations, making it impossible for the Solomon Islands to demonstrate that trade is non-detrimental, while the best available information suggests that the trade may be harmful (S1). In response, the CITES authorities of the Solomon Islands justify continued trade by suggesting that conservationist claims are based on insufficient data and lack of peer review (S1). Cases where data are deficient are especially susceptible to political maneuvering (see S2). The international trade of shark fins offers a similar example (S3). Five commercially valuable shark species were proposed and rejected for CITES listing and trade restriction during the March 2010 Conference of Parties. Although financial, cultural, and political factors heavily influenced the negotiations, data gaps also hindered science-based decision-making. Although harvest and by-catch (fish caught accidentally when intending to harvest other fish) data for shark fins are collected in a number of different fisheries, uncertainties linger due to illegal harvest, noncompliance, underreporting, and failures to systematicall