What does the 2026 shark executive order mean for CITES and endangered sharks?

Published September 28, 2026

Executive Order 14430, signed by President Donald Trump on September 17, 2026 and published at 91 FR 60293 on September 22, tells agencies to assess CITES shark listings and orders the Secretary of Commerce to set up a shark and pinniped depredation task force. It also has the Fish and Wildlife Service expedite non-detriment findings, the scientific check behind export permits for CITES-listed sharks. It cannot change a CITES listing by itself: only the treaty's Parties can. The oceanic whitetip, the whale shark and the manta and devil rays have been on Appendix I since March 5, 2026, and the United States entered no reservation.

Most of the order is about recreational fishing: catch data, permits and artificial reefs. One section, headed "Managing Predators," reaches into international wildlife law and touches the sharks and rays in this catalog. This page reads that section against the treaty and the official records; it is not legal advice.

What does Executive Order 14430 say about sharks?

The order, "Restoring American Saltwater Angling and Recreation," was printed in the Federal Register on September 22 as FR Doc. 2026-19417. Section 7 does four things.

• A task force. The Secretary of Commerce must set up an Interagency Shark and Pinniped Depredation Task Force to deal with "rising rates of shark and pinniped depredation." Pinnipeds include seals and sea lions.
• Trade barriers. State, Interior and Commerce, with the U.S. Trade Representative, must address "international and domestic barriers to sustainable shark fisheries" as far as the law allows. That includes "assessing listings under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species," directing the Fish and Wildlife Service "to expedite Non-Detriment Findings for global export," and reviewing fishery bodies and treaties so they promote "robust commercial and recreational harvests."
• Grants. In its grant-making, Commerce must favor partnerships with charter boat captains and recreational angling groups.
• Reporting. Within 90 days, Commerce must develop and implement a standard "Real-Time Depredation Reporting" protocol and build it into federal and state-linked mobile data platforms.

In Section 7, only the reporting protocol has a deadline; the task force and the CITES assessment have none. Section 9 says the order must be carried out consistent with applicable law and creates no right anyone can enforce in court. It instructs agencies. It does not itself change a regulation, a catch limit or a treaty listing. Jack Vitek made the same point for anglers in Marlin on September 18: it is not a new law and changes no season or bag limit overnight. Nor does the order mention the Endangered Species Act, under which NOAA Fisheries listed the oceanic whitetip and the giant manta ray as threatened in 2018.

What is shark depredation?

Depredation is losing a catch to a predator. NOAA Fisheries describes shark depredation as a shark taking all or part of a hooked fish off the line before it can be reeled in.

On its depredation strategy page, updated September 21, 2026, NOAA says the sandbar shark and the bull shark have been implicated as the main depredating species in Atlantic recreational fishing for snapper and grouper. It lists possible reasons for more encounters, from some shark populations rebuilding and sharks that may link engines with food to more fishing and more released fish. It also notes that not every stock has recovered, naming the dusky shark stock as one that still needs rebuilding. A new sandbar stock assessment, the first since 2018, began in May 2026; results are due in early 2027.

Two sharks named on that page, the sandbar and the dusky, are in this catalog as Endangered. A September 2, 2026 NOAA Fisheries priority list, covered below, includes acoustic tagging of sandbar sharks with anglers in the Gulf of America (formerly the Gulf of Mexico), and calls the sandbar "a common depredation species."

What is the difference between CITES Appendix I and Appendix II?

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, controls trade across borders, not fishing seasons. The appendices, defined in the treaty text, set how tightly that trade is controlled.

• Appendix I is for species already threatened with extinction that trade does or could affect. Article II says trade in them "must only be authorized in exceptional circumstances." Under Article III, the importing country may grant its permit only if the animal will not be used for "primarily commercial purposes."
• Appendix II covers species that could become threatened unless trade is strictly regulated, plus look-alikes listed so the others can be controlled. Trade is allowed with an export permit. Under Article IV, the exporting country's Scientific Authority must first advise that the export "will not be detrimental to the survival of that species," and its Management Authority must be satisfied the specimen was legally obtained.

For a US boat, the border is what matters. The Fish and Wildlife Service's FAQ on CITES-listed sharks and rays says a listed shark caught by a U.S.-flagged vessel in federal or state waters and landed directly in the United States needs no CITES certificate. That covers CITES paperwork only; fishing rules decide what may be kept, and NOAA Fisheries says keeping an oceanic whitetip is prohibited in all US federal waters of the Atlantic, the Gulf of America and the Caribbean. Exporting a listed shark, landing it first in a foreign port or bringing it in from the high seas does need a certificate. The same FAQ says CITES has no bycatch exemption, and that fins and meat are covered like whole animals.

What is a non-detriment finding, and who makes it in the US?

A non-detriment finding is the scientific judgment that an export will not harm the species' survival in the wild. According to the Service's shark FAQ, both US CITES authorities sit in its International Affairs program: the Division of Management Authority decides whether specimens were legally acquired, and the Division of Scientific Authority makes the non-detriment finding. For sharks and rays, the Service says it consults NOAA Fisheries, for instance to confirm that the applicant was legally allowed to catch the animals.

The factors are set out in 50 CFR 23.61. The Service asks whether the export is sustainable use, whether it would do net harm to the species in the wild, and whether it could cause long-term declines that put a population's viability in question, or significant loss of habitat or range. For Appendix II species it also asks whether the export would create a significant risk that the species comes to qualify for Appendix I. Where information is inadequate, the regulation says the Service takes a precautionary approach and cannot make the finding.

The order does not say what "expedite" would mean or mention 50 CFR 23.61. As of September 28, 2026, the Service's FAQ told shark exporters that applications are handled in the order received and that there is no process to expedite them.

Why do faster export findings matter mainly for Appendix II sharks?

Because for Appendix I species the finding is not the main barrier. An Appendix I export still needs one, but, as above, the importing country cannot grant its permit for primarily commercial use. Between Parties that apply the listing, a faster US finding would not open a legal market for oceanic whitetip fins or manta gill plates, which NOAA Fisheries says are prized in international trade. For Appendix II species, the export permit and its finding are the gate, so that is where faster findings could matter, although the order names no species.

Which endangered sharks and rays are on which appendix?

This catalog lists species recorded as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Extinct in the Wild, as what "in crisis" means explains. Listing dates come from Species+, the database built by UNEP-WCMC and the CITES Secretariat, checked on September 28, 2026.

Appendix I, since March 5, 2026:

• the oceanic whitetip shark, Critically Endangered, on Appendix II from September 14, 2014;
• the whale shark, Endangered, on Appendix II from February 13, 2003;
• the whole manta and devil ray family, Mobulidae: the giant oceanic manta ray (Endangered), the bentfin devil ray, box ray and devil fish (all Critically Endangered), and the lesser devil ray and Mobula kuhlii (both Endangered).

Appendix II, among others:

• all seven hammerheads in the catalog, under a listing of the whole hammerhead family since February 23, 2023: the scalloped, great and smalleye hammerheads, the scoophead, the scalloped bonnethead and the winghead shark, all Critically Endangered, and the Endangered bonnethead;
• the shortfin and longfin makos, both Endangered, listed since November 26, 2019;
• the basking shark, listed since February 13, 2003, and the pelagic thresher, listed since October 4, 2017, both Endangered;
• the dusky, sandbar, blacknose and night sharks, all Endangered, under the requiem shark family listing that first took effect on November 25, 2023. Since March 5, 2026 it carries the note "Except the species included in Appendix I," which carves out the oceanic whitetip.

Adopted but not yet in force: Species+ records that CoP20 added three groups to Appendix II with an 18-month delay, to June 5, 2027: the tope or school shark (Galeorhinus galeus, Critically Endangered), the gulper sharks, including the Endangered gulper shark, and the smooth-hounds, including the Endangered common smooth-hound.

On September 28, 2026, NOAA Fisheries' profiles of the oceanic whitetip and the giant manta ray, linked above, still said "CITES Appendix II"; Species+ is the record to check.

Can the United States take a shark off CITES?

Not on its own, and not by executive order. Only the Parties can amend Appendices I and II, at a Conference of the Parties (CoP) or through a postal procedure. Article XV sets the rules:

• Any Party may propose an amendment for the next meeting, but the text must reach the CITES Secretariat at least 150 days before it opens.
• An amendment passes with a two-thirds majority of Parties present and voting. Abstentions do not count.
• Adopted amendments take effect 90 days after the meeting. In practice the Parties can agree to a later date, as they did for tope, gulper sharks and smooth-hounds.
• Between meetings, a proposal can go by post. It takes effect if no Party objects; otherwise a postal vote needs replies from at least half of the Parties and a two-thirds majority of those voting yes or no.

CoP20 met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from November 24 to December 5, 2025, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service's January 13, 2026 bulletin to importers and exporters, which lists the whitetip, the whale shark and the Mobulidae as moved to Appendix I. The next regular meeting will be CoP21. As of September 28, 2026, we found no official date for it.

The treaty's species-specific opt-out has closed for these listings. Under Article XV, a Party may enter a written reservation within 90 days after the meeting that adopts an amendment, and is then treated as a non-Party for trade in that species until it withdraws. For CoP20 that window ended on March 5, 2026. Species+ records reservations on the whitetip, whale shark and manta and devil ray listings by Canada, Japan and Liechtenstein, and by the United Kingdom for Northern Ireland and four other jurisdictions. The United States entered none.

The order's own word is "assessing." It does not direct the United States to file a proposal.

What else is NOAA Fisheries planning for sharks, rays and sawfish?

On September 2, 2026, NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler published the agency's priorities under the 2025 seafood executive order, EO 14276. Besides the sandbar tagging, one item reaches this catalog: gathering data, through a stakeholder process, to inform any new Biological Opinion on the shrimp fishery's potential impact on the smalltooth sawfish (Critically Endangered) and the giant manta ray.

These are plans, not rules. NOAA names bycatch on commercial fishing gear, with the fin trade, as the main threat to the whitetip; our page on bycatch and the catalog explains how that works.

How have anglers and conservation groups reacted?

Angling groups welcomed the order. Bruce Pohlot, who leads conservation work at the International Game Fish Association, told Marlin it puts long-discussed issues on a schedule: "Now there's a timeline to address these important issues." Glenn Hughes, president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association, said in a press release that it would bring long-term benefits for the industry and for saltwater recreational anglers, whom he put at 15.5 million.

Others were critical or cautious. Andrea Treece, deputy managing attorney for oceans at Earthjustice, was quoted by the Guardian as saying the clause appeared designed to loosen limits on trade in sharks. "It seems to be aimed at killing more sharks and that is really short-sighted," she said.

Grace Casselberry, who researches shark depredation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, urged caution in the same article: partial shark recovery and more people fishing than ever make encounters likelier, she said, and any change to strict harvest limits should rest on the best available science.

The Anchorage Daily News reported that Rick Steiner, a retired University of Alaska professor, said the section was designed to increase shark culling in US waters and abroad.

Key facts and dates

• November 24 to December 5, 2025: CoP20 in Samarkand moves the whitetip, the whale shark and the manta and devil rays to Appendix I.
• March 5, 2026: those listings take effect and the reservation window closes.
• September 17, 2026: Executive Order 14430 is signed (published September 22).
• October 17, 2026 (30 days): Interior, Agriculture, Commerce and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works must take first steps toward suspending, revising or rescinding rules that "overly burden boaters, anglers, and outdoor businesses."
• December 16, 2026 (90 days): the Real-Time Depredation Reporting protocol is due.
• March 16, 2027 (180 days): Commerce must finish reviewing targeted Magnuson-Stevens Act National Standards guidelines, at a minimum considering revisions to those for National Standards 1 and 2.
• June 5, 2027: the tope, gulper shark and smooth-hound listings take effect.

What should you watch for next?

Three things would show whether the CITES clause turns into action: a Fish and Wildlife Service notice changing how shark export findings are made, the membership and first output of the task force, and any US proposal filed for CoP21. The Federal Register showed none of the three by September 28, 2026. Status on our species dossiers measures extinction risk; CITES governs what may cross a border, as our pages on CITES and the pet trade and wildlife trade and the catalog explain.