CANBERRA, Australia - One of the ocean's most feared predators, the great white shark, is in danger of extinction. Recognizing the threats facing the shark, the Australian government has decided to nominate the species for listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) at the next meeting of member countries in October.

Environment Minister Dr. David Kemp said Friday that scientific evidence suggests the great white shark is rare, and the global population of this species has declined by at least 20 percent over the last three generations, and even more in some areas.

The shark made famous by the film "Jaws" is vulnerable to fishing vessels hunting it for fins and teeth, and also vulnerable to being caught in nets and lines set for other species.

"Products derived from the great white shark include trophy items such as jaws and teeth, and fins for foods like shark fin soup," said Kemp. "Increasing demand for these products has increased their value. Recent reports have identified sums of up to $50,000 paid for jaws from South Africa and $600 for individual teeth."

A CITES listing would make it illegal for any of the 161 countries that are Parties to the CITES convention to trade in great white shark products.

"Great white sharks mature very slowly and females give birth to a small number of young only every two to three years, so that the international trade in shark products can have a major impact on population numbers," Kemp said.

As a highly migratory species, this shark needs global protective action to escape extinction.

The great white shark is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which documents species that are facing a high risk of global extinction. But the IUCN notes that "a global status of endangered may prove more accurate for this shark as further data are collected."

"While we don't know how many great white sharks remain in the world's oceans, all the scientific evidence points to a decline in the abundance and average size of the species," Kemp said.

Australia successfully lobbied for the listing of the great white shark on the Convention for Migratory Species in 2002. The species is fully protected in Australia under the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

While it also receives protection in the United States, South Africa, Namibia, Malta and the Maldives, "only a global trade ban will give the great white a fighting chance of survival," Kemp said.