With its major domestic and international fishing fleets and cultural emphasis on seafood, Japan's policies and practices ripple across every ocean. Understanding how sharks move through these, and neighboring, markets, kitchens, and even pet food is essential to addressing the global shark mortality crisis.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Shelley Clarke, an independent fisheries consultant with decades of experience working inside the systems that govern shark catch and trade worldwide. From her early career as a fisheries observer to her ongoing work with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) , Shelley offers a rare insider perspective on how shark policy succeeds and where it falls short.

Join us for a nuanced, honest look at one of the most complex fronts in global shark conservation and what everyday people can do to push things forward.

Thanks to:📸 Andy Murch – www.sharksandrays.org | YouTube: @bigfishexpeditions8233 | IG: @bigfishexpeditions📸 Shelley Clarke

🔗 Follow us for more shark science and ocean stories:📸 Instagram: @shark_docs🎯 www.sharkdocs.org

OUTLINE

0:00 – Intro to Japan, Global Shark Conservation, & Dr. Shelley Clarke

02:45 – Fisheries Observer Program & Career Path

08:55 – Japanese Culture & Relationship to Seafood and Conservation

22:19 – Japan's Diving Industry & Wildlife

27:22 – Healthy Seafood: Mercury & Fukushima

29:29 – Shark In Food for People & Pets

32:30 – Cultural Values towards Seafood

35:50 – Shark Finning, No-Retention Measures, Transshipment, & Mortality

47:10 – Shark Meat, Landings Records & Reporting

50:05 – Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU)

53:30 – Shark Trade & CITES

59:35 – Solving Excessive Shark Mortality

1:05:49 – Making a Difference in Everyday Life

1:08:30 – Inner Workings of RFMO Meetings

1:16:20 – Small Steps Towards Conservation Success

1:20:30 – Research Advice for Grad Students

1:22:35 – Outro

Relevant Literature & Resources

🌐 Guest

Dr. Shelley Clarke – www.sasamaconsulting.com

⚠️ Conservation Status

Dulvy et al., 2024 – https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.adn1477

Dulvy et al., 2026 – https://www.nature.com/articles/s44358-025-00120-2

🚫 Shark Fin Bans & No-Retention

Ferretti et al., 2020 – https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12708

Worm et al., 2024 – https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.adf8984

Feitosa et al., 2025 – https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12892

Gilman et al., 2016 – https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2599

Tolotti et al., 2015 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2015.05.003

Clarke et al., 2012 – https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01943.x

🔍 Shark Fins, Trade, & CITES

Cardeñosa et al., 2018 – https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12457

Cardeñosa et al., 2023 – https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12864

Cardeñosa, 2019 – https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-019-01221-0

Fields et al., 2025 – https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10592-025-01714-1

Fowler et al., 2021 – https://bfn.bsz-bw.de/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/7/file/Skript607.pdf

Bond et al., 2025 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106733

Clarke et al., 2006 – https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00968.x

🥩 Shark Meat Trade

Ospina-Álvarez et al., 2025 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106659

MacNeil et al., 2025 – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.24.650194v1.abstract

Okes & Sant, 2019 – https://sharks.panda.org/images/downloads/327/TRAFFIC_Top_20_Shark_Catchers__Traders_2019_1.pdf

Ryburn et al., 2025 – https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1604454

Dent and Clarke, 2015 – https://www.proquest.com/openview/3b5c990099f5140bc44e63e7e691e271/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=237320

🎣 Bycatch & Fisheries Management

Crespo et al., 2024 – https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14324

Cronin et al., 2023 – https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12710

Galland et al., 2018 – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.10.029