Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences UI had joined on ‘Technical Guidance of CITES Implementation for Sharks and Rays: Species Identification Technique for Trade and It’s Traceability’,
which presented by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Directorate General for Marine Section
Management, Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Indonesia in November 27 th -29 th 2018 located in Muara
Baru, North Jakarta.

Since February 2003, Sharks and Rays already included in Appendix II of CITES. Species included in
Appendix II are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but trade in them is controlled to avoid
utilization incompatible with their survival. As of October 2016, twelve species of sharks and all manta
and devil rays (which belong to the same subclass Elasmobranchii) are included in Appendix II, and none
in Appendix I. However, all species of sawfishes (which also belong to the subclass Elasmobranchii) are
in Appendix I (Source: CITES).

The workshop was aimed to raise the capability for people who work in government who directly
involve in the chain of sharks and rays trade to implement CITES regulation. Another stakeholder were
came from research institution and university also informed to know about visual morphology and DNA
technique identification. Dr. Rima Jabado (The Gulf Elasmo Project), Diego Cardenosa M. Sc. (Stony
Brook University), Adeline Seah, Ph. D (WCS), Daniel Fernando (Linnaeus University) were the experts
who gave information how to identify sharks and rays based on their expertise. Stan Shea from Bloom
Association Hong Kong also participated as one of interviewees who explained about how is the shark
trade especially because almost all the shark trade traceability are export to Hong Kong.

As part of the training, the participants went to the export company warehouse in Muara Baru, Jakarta.
They were shown of thousand pieces of shark fins and chunks as the products in the warehouse which
ready to export abroad like Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, and Thailand. As the title of the workshop was
about identification with DNA Technique, Diego and Adeline were showed the participants how to
identify the product by taking DNA sample in the warehouse. They showed the simple methods as
everyone could do in the field, meanwhile Rima also showed how to identify based on the visual of the
fins and the chunk, which almost all of it already headless.

From this training, the participants be expected could do identify the sharks and rays by visually or
molecularly. There could be also some researches between the institutions from the participants to do
implement the regulation of the trade and conservation to keep sustainable.