News Gallery

26 new whale sharks identified in Donsol, Philippines

Added to Press Releases on 30 August 2021

(30 August 2021) - More than two dozen new faces were among the familiar ones as the latest annual whale shark survey came to a close in Donsol, Philippines, ahead of Whale Shark Day 2021. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines identified 58 individual whale sharks during the organization's 2021 population survey, held annually off the coast of Donsol.

A deep-dive into shark and ray MPAs helps protect the species in Malaysia

Added to Updates on 20 July 2021

To help better conserve sharks and rays in marine parks in the state of Sabah, WWF-Malaysia co-organized a virtual workshop with a focus on marine protected areas in collaboration with the Sabah Parks authority. This was the second such workshop co-organized by WWF in Asia.

US$2.6 billion global trade in shark and ray meat feeds the ocean crisis

Added to Updates on 12 July 2021

Ahead of this year's Shark Awareness Day, WWF launches a new report spotlighting a global, highly complex, and opaque trade in shark and ray meat that many are unaware of.

US$2.6 billion global trade in shark and ray meat revealed. Better rules and transparency needed to fight overexploitation.

Added to Press Releases on 12 July 2021

(13 July 2021) More than 200 countries and territories are importing and exporting shark and ray meat for a global trade that was valued at US$2.6 billion between 2012 and 2019, with Spain being the world’s top exporter, Italy the top importer and the EU accounting for over 20% of the global shark meat trade.

Fiji's Dreketi River & Estuary Shark and Ray Survey report launched

Added to Press Releases on 09 June 2021

This World Oceans Day WWF-Pacific together with Fiji's Ministry of Environment and other stakeholders launched its Dreketi River and Estuary Shark and Ray Survey report, which provides a snapshot of shark and ray species found within and around Fiji’s deepest river.

Rare angelsharks come to life in the middle of Croatia's capital

Added to Updates on 09 June 2021

The sea and highly threatened angelsharks, which can still be found in the country, "reached" middle of Zagreb thanks to a new mural created to celebrate the World Oceans Day. The mural not only comes to life thanks to the AR technology but also helps to reduce air pollution through a special high-tech paint. The work is a result of a collaboration between WWF-Adria, a street artist Boris Bare and animators Mate Žaja and Duje Stojak.

Five reasons why oceanic sharks and rays matter to the world and people!

Added to Blogs on 08 June 2021

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!

China and Thailand join WWF’s regional shark fin programme

Added to Updates on 04 June 2021

WWF is now working in six key Asian markets leading efforts to reduce the unsustainable demand for shark fin.

Ravaged by Fishing — An Oceanic Shark Emergency

Added to Blogs on 13 May 2021

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?

Urgent call to action for oceanic sharks and rays

Added to Updates on 13 May 2021

Fishing fast declining populations of sharks and rays in open seas is destroying a vital buffer against catastrophic climate change. But these animals can be brought back from the brink.

WWF calls for urgent measures to recover heavily depleted oceanic sharks and rays

Added to Press Releases on 13 May 2021

WWF urges all states fishing for tuna to implement a set of urgently needed measures – including 100% observer coverage on all industrial fishing vessels by 2030 and recovery plans for all critically endangered and endangered oceanic sharks and rays by 2026 – in order to prevent extinctions and restore heavily depleted populations of pelagic sharks and rays.

TRAFFIC bites back at illegal wildlife traders with the world’s first-ever 3D-printed replica shark fins

Added to Press Releases on 04 May 2021

Frontline law enforcement officials can now harness pioneering technology to combat the trafficking in shark fins; an illegal trade accelerating shark population declines globally.

Angels of the Adriatic: Next steps for a potential hotspot

Added to Updates on 15 April 2021

Once common across the Mediterranean, angel sharks have suffered widespread decline. A new short report by WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative, prepared in collaboration with the Angel Shark Project, underlines the urgency of acting to save one of the last remaining populations in the region.

Portugal must be a European leader in the protection of sharks and rays

Added to Press Releases on 08 April 2021

(8 April 2021) Portugal is in 3rd place among the European countries that capture the most sharks and rays, behind Spain and France, with almost half of its species under threat. ANP|WWF urges the Portuguese government to create a National Action Plan for the management and conservation of sharks and rays, which would place Portugal in the European leadership for the protection of these species.

Virtual shark and ray MPA workshop held for the Coral Triangle

Added to Updates on 05 April 2021

As part of the pre-workshops leading up to the 3rd National Sharks and Rays Symposium of Indonesia held in April this year, WWF conducted a virtual training and workshop session focused on marine protected areas (MPAs) for sharks and rays in collaboration with the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF).