Polar bears, bluefin tuna and shark species are among those who will receive no help as a result of the 15th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which has been taking place over the past week in Doha, Qatar. From March 13th to 25th the CoP addressed proposed regulations to restrict trade on the hides, parts, and meat of endangered species, and has unfortunately failed to protect many creatures in dire need.

Bans against fishing the Atlantic bluefin were turned down on Thursday. A staple of Japanese and Mediterranean food traditions, the bluefin tuna (of which there are three species) has been critically overfished. Conservationists cite the lack of a ban as a prime example of giving priority to commerce over conservation, and say that the vote “spells disaster for the bluefin’s survival.” With no fishing ban in place, the tuna has little chance to recover its numbers against current fishing practices. Some restaurants have taken the initiative to protect the tuna which remains on several seafood red lists by refusing to sell them. Consumers can do their part by not eating bluefin tuna themselves, and informing friends and family.

Polar bears also fared poorly in CITES voting. Not only are polar bears challenged by ice cap melt and other perils of global warming, but they are also up against commercial trade for their skins. Measures restricting trade in polar bear parts were turned down on Thursday, leaving the species to fend for themselves against hunting that still takes place legally in Greenland and Canada.

Measures to restrict trade in red and pink corals, mostly sold as decorative jewelry, were also voted down, giving the delicate, slow-growing corals no protection from high consumer demand. As with the bluefin tuna trade, this vote leaves jewelry retailers to take initiative on their own and protect species by not purchasing them.

Proposals to internationally monitor trade in endangered shark species were rejected. This leaves most endangered shark species such as the scalloped hammerhead, the oceanic white tip and the spiny dogfish to become victims of shark-fin soup. As a result of the vote, these species will have no export monitoring or trade bans. The votes did protect one species: the temperate zone porbeagle, normally fished for its meat.

Despite these disappointing outcomes, a couple of species will be protected as a result of the regulations passed. Proposals by Tanzania and Zimbabwe to allow trade in elephant hide and hair were rejected. This will enable continued work to control elephant poaching, while Zimbabwe and other South African countries will still have the rights to sell their current ivory stockpiles.

Beleaguered tigers also fared fairly well, with votes going to share intelligence internationally to expose criminal trading practices, and to the creation of a database to monitor illegal trade in tiger and leopard parts. However, neither of these provisions will effectively stop the poachers who have long been selling tiger parts for medicinal, religious and decorative purposes.