Shark species facing extinction - in pictures

A smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) caught in a fishing net. The IUCN classes the smooth hammerhead as "globally vulnerable to extinction" Photograph: Jeffrey L Rotman/Corbis

Scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), which in some parts of the world has declined by 99% over the past 30 years Photograph: Fred Bavendam/Minden Pictures/Getty

The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is classed as "globally vulnerable to extinction" in the IUCN's new red list of oceanic shark species Photograph: Alan James/NPL/Rex Features

Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) found in tropical and warm temperate seas. Its population has declined by an average of 50% in the north-west Atlantic since the early 1970s Photograph: Georgette Douwma/Getty

Big-eye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus), which can grow up to 5m long. Its large eyes allow it to see at depths of up to 500m Photograph: Jeffrey L Rotman/Corbis

A blue shark (Prionace glauca) off the coast of California Photograph: Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch/IUCN

A party of great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) which the IUCN now classifies as "globally endangered" Photograph: Simon Rogerson/IUCN

Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) – now classed as "globally vulnerable to extinction" by the IUCN Photograph: Denis Scott/Corbis

Oceanic white-tip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) – "globally vulnerable to extinction" Photograph: IUCN

Dead sharks lie on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The sharks were caught, stripped of their fins for shark-fin soup, then thrown back into the water Photograph: Jeffrey L. Rotman/Corbis

Sharks on display after being brought ashore at an Indonesian fishing port in Banyuwangi, East Java Photograph: Stringer/Reuters

A fisherman cuts the fins off a shark at a fish market in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The fins are dried and then sold for 32,000 African francs (50 euros) per kilo to Senegalese or Guyanese wholesale dealers, who export them to Asian countries, notably China and Japan. The leftover meat is sold at 8,000 African francs (10.50 euros) per kilo Photograph: Kambou Sia/AFP

Shark fins are prepared for sale in a Hong Kong market. Shark-fin dishes are seen as a delicacy in China, with economic growth making them affordable for a growing number of people Photograph: Andrew Ross/AFP

A chef serves shark-fin soup in in Bangkok's Chinatown district Photograph: Kevin Foy/Rex Features

Shark-fin soup being served at a wedding banquet in Hong Kong. The taste for shark fins is driving some of the ocean's most ancient creatures to the brink of extinction, and in the process upsetting the balance of marine ecosystems Photograph: PAUL HILTON/EPA