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