3D printed replica shark fins

Region Update: Africa

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group | Africa Regional Group | Member Senior Programme Coordinator | TRAFFIC Southern Africa

More than 40 shark and ray species have been listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Listing in Appendix II requires permits to be issued confirming shipments of shark fins were obtained legally and sustainably. However, shark fins are often challenging to identify to a species level, and illegal traffickers use this to their advantage by falsely declaring shipments of fins as being from non-CITES listed species.

Accurately identifying CITES-listed species is vital for effective enforcement of CITES but is a massive challenge for frontline enforcement officials. As if that was not difficult enough, they must correctly identify wildlife such as shark fins alongside all the other contraband they are looking out for. Furthermore, many customs and other law enforcement agencies involved in combatting wildlife trafficking worldwide are understaffed and under-equipped.

Several excellent fin identification guides were developed to assist enforcement officials. However, identification is far easier if these officials also have access to real fins. Unfortunately, very few enforcement agencies have access to a comprehensive set of shark fins representing the fins of CITES-listed species in trade. Even where they do, the fins have quite a strong smell, and there is a risk of the fins degrading due to insect infestations.

Knowing this, TRAFFIC has created a set of 22 3D printed and painted replica fins to assist customs officials and enforcement officers globally in fin identification. The complete free online toolkit (www.traffic.org/3d-replica-shark-fins/) contains scan files and detailed painting guidance for ten shark and ray species and two ray families. All of them, except the Blue Shark Prionace glauca, are listed in CITES Appendix II.

Worldwide, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders are now in a position to produce fin sets for training and fins for day-to-day use by law enforcement officials in situations where fin identification is required. The latter are printed with the shark's name and type of fin and a section where a dedicated QR code can be attached. When scanned with a cell phone, this code links to fin-specific web pages on the TRAFFIC website, which provide additional information and guidance on the identifying features for that species.

During trials, law enforcement officials in South Africa reviewing the replica fins and QR code concept strongly supported their use in building fin identification capacity.

• Blue Shark Prionace glauca (not a CITES-listed species) • Bowmouth Guitarfish Rhina ancylostoma • Common Thresher Alopias vulpinus • Giant Guitarfish Family: Glaucostegidae • Great Hammerhead Shark Sphyrna mokarran • Oceanic Whitetip Shark Carcharhinus longimanus • Porbeagle Shark Lamna nasus • Scalloped Hammerhead Shark Sphyrna lewini • Silky Shark Carcharhinus falciformis • Shortfin Mako Isurus oxyrinchus • Wedgefish Family: Rhinidae

Blue and Mako Shark fins 3D being laser scanned, creating a digital representation of the real fins. A visual representation is taken from a 3D scan of a Bowmouth Guitarfish caudal fin

The replica shark fins after 3D printing, using sintered nylon as printing compound (as seen from left to right: Bowmouth Guitarfish caudal fin, Oceanic Whitetip Shark dorsal fin, and Great Hammerhead Shark dorsal fin)

For more information, please contact: Markus Burgener: markus.burgener@traffic.org Simone Louw: simone.louw@traffic.org