Blogs
Preventing shark and ray extinctions is not enough
By Andy Cornish
Preventing extinctions has been a primary aim of shark and ray conservation for decades, but the numbers don’t lie. These efforts — including our own — haven’t kept pace with the threats. We all need to raise our level of ambition if we want to reverse the tragic loss of biodiversity in our ocean. More efforts are needed to actively recover depleted populations for the benefit of our ocean and people who depend on it.
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Recovery in the heart of the Sulu Seas
Three decades of conservation efforts at a remote coral reef complex in the Philippines have paid off. Today it is one of the most important areas for sharks in the Coral Triangle and supports the highest density of whitetip reef sharks in the world.
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Saving reefs - and sharks - of Cabo Pulmo
Thanks to grassroots action and community efforts, a once devastated reef in Mexico has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now teeming with marine wildlife, Cabo Pulmo has become a world-renowned shark diving destination especially popular for its bull sharks. But how did that happen? [by Kee Foong]
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Return of a rare toothy ray in Florida
A very rare and curious-looking ray called the smalltooth sawfish inhabits the waters of Florida in the US. Once on the verge of extinction, the animal is now making a comeback in the country thanks to the dedication of scientists, experts, authorities, and the community. This story brings a ray of hope for other endangered rays and sharks around the world.
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The world needs coral reefs, and coral reefs need sharks
The value of coral reefs to sharks has long been known. The complex structures that corals form shelter a huge variety of species, creating oases of ocean biodiversity and providing plenty of food for reef sharks. Shallow areas with few predators serve as shark nurseries. But what do sharks bring to the relationship? Recent science is finally shedding light on the subject and indicates that protecting disappearing reef sharks is likely to have considerable benefits for building reef resilience.
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Whale Shark Tales from Indonesia’s Islands
From grandma’s shark on the island of Borneo, to Sulawesi’s moon shark, and ancestor’s shark on Java, this Whale Shark Day, discover five different whale shark tales and learn about the cultural meaning of these gentle giants in Indonesia.
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Five reasons why oceanic sharks and rays matter to the world and people!
While there are only a few dozen of oceanic shark and ray species – animals that spend most of their lives in the open ocean – they are critical for the health of the ocean and the well-being of millions of people who depend on it for food and their livelihoods. These fascinating fishes are essential for so many reasons, from being blue carbon sinks and ocean mixers to inspiring innovation and design! This World Oceans Day, let's learn more about how important these predators are to the big blue, our planet, and people!
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Ravaged by Fishing — An Oceanic Shark Emergency
By Andy Cornish
Two iconic shark species — oceanic whitetip and scalloped hammerhead — as well as many other sharks and rays inhabiting the open ocean are being pushed toward extinction. Main threat? Overfishing. How did we get here and what can be done to save them?
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The Rarest of the Rare - five sharks and rays on the brink of extinction
This World Wildlife Day, we present five critically endangered sharks and rays you might have never heard of – and unless urgent action is taken to save them – you are unlikely to ever see…
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Five Incredible Whale Shark Discoveries of the Last Decade
Let’s celebrate this year's Whale Shark Day by learning about five fascinating facts scientists have discovered about these gentle giants in the past decade, from having a unique eye armour to figuring out how old they are by studying atomic bomb tests!
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Six Solutions to Save Sharks
By Andy Cornish
Sharks are in deep trouble. Driven mainly by overfishing, their numbers are plummeting, and an alarming number of species are facing extinction. These diverse and necessary species have been evolving for some 400 million years, but now time is not on their side. This Shark Awareness Day, Dr. Andy Cornish highlights the top six things we believe need to happen if the downward trajectories of so many shark populations are to be reversed. These are not in any order of priority — each is essential.
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Nine Cool Shark and Ray Superpowers
Sharks and rays are an incredibly diverse group of vertebrates that have evolved around 400 million years ago, outliving the dinosaurs. There are over 1,200 species known to science, from the tiny dwarf lantern shark all the way to the gigantic whale shark. But it is not just their diversity that makes them so cool – they do have some very special superpowers too! Let’s take a closer look at some of them to celebrate this International Shark Awareness Day.
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The WWF Sharkulator Story
By Andy Cornish
How we can now tell people how many sharks they can save by refusing shark fin soup -- The story behind our brand-new science-based tool allowing to calculate how many of these increasingly threatened marine creatures can be saved based on the number of bowls of shark fin soup not consumed.
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5 ways in which sharks and rays help ecosystems, other species, and people.
Let’s celebrate some of the most enigmatic and misunderstood creatures of the blue – sharks and rays, which are crucial for the health of our planet! Here are 5 incredible ways in which sharks and rays help the world, from fighting climate change, to sharing food with their neighbours, to growing phytoplankton, and more.
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Species for Sale: Manta Ray
Manta rays - giant cartilaginous fish found in tropical and subtropical seas - are slow breeding and naturally uncommon. Along with the closely related devil rays, mantas are targeted for their gill plates, which are sold dried for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although gill plates are rarely prescribed by TCM practitioners, they became highly sought after over a decade ago thanks to traders in Guangdong aggressively marketing them as a health tonic ingredient. Find our more in this blog by Thomas Gomersall of WWF Hong Kong.
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