Brazil cities order endangered angelshark meat despite fishing ban

Government agencies in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state launched public procurements for more than 200 metric tons of meat from endangered angelshark species between 2015 and 2025, a Mongabay investigation has revealed. The meat is served in public institutions, including schools.  Fishing for angelsharks is prohibited in Brazil, but its trade is legal if the fish are imported. In neighboring Uruguay and Argentina, angelshark fishing is restricted but not forbidden. Angelsharks, ray-like sharks that lie flat and camouflaged on the seabed, are one of most threatened shark families globally. All three species of angelsharks found off the coast of Brazil — angular (Squatina guggenheim), hidden (S. occulta) and Argentine angelshark (S. argentina) — are classified as critically endangered by th