Countries vote to regulate shark fin trade in landmark decision at wildlife summit

Overfishing and a lack of regulation is pushing sharks to extinction - now a global body is hoping to better protect them

Countries at the world's biggest wildlife summit have voted for the first time to regulate the trade that kills millions of sharks every year to feed the vast appetite for shark fin soup.

In what marine conservationists have hailed as a landmark decision, parties at the 186-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or Cites, voted to limit or regulate the commercial trade in 54 shark species of the requiem family, including tiger, bull and blue sharks which are the most targeted for the fin trade. It will require countries to ensure legality and sustainability prior to authorising exports of these species.