News Gallery

Nearly 40 sharks and rays reclassified as threatened, including one species of ray already possibly extinct

Added to Press Releases on 25 March 2021

(25 March 2021) New updates on the conservation status of sharks and rays released today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) show that 39 additional species are now facing a risk of extinction in the wild. This takes the total of all sharks and rays categorised as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered to 355.

WWF and the Solomon Islands government collaborate to improve fisheries management and complete National Plan of Action-Sharks

Added to Press Releases on 03 March 2021

WWF-Solomon Islands has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources­ to formalize joint efforts to improve fisheries management and marine species protection. As part of this collaboration, WWF will support the authorities with completing the National Plan of Action for sharks and rays (NPOA-Sharks) in the Solomon Islands.

The Rarest of the Rare - five sharks and rays on the brink of extinction

Added to Blogs on 03 March 2021

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…

More than 300 Species of Sharks and Rays Now Threatened with Extinction

Added to Press Releases on 10 December 2020

(10 December 2020) – New assessments by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released today show 316 chondrichthyan species – sharks, rays and skates, and chimaeras – are now threatened with extinction.

Indian Ocean's sharks and rays still not a priority for the regional fisheries body

Added to Updates on 08 December 2020

This year’s annual meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), a regional fisheries management body responsible for tuna fishing in the Indian Ocean, concluded on 6 November 2020 with no new conservation or management measures adopted for sharks and rays.

What’s in the Net – Millions of turtles, seals, dolphins, seabirds and sharks killed each year

Added to Press Releases on 19 November 2020

WWF and Sky Ocean Rescue report calls for cameras on fishing boats to monitor and protect marine wildlife.

110 whale sharks safely released by Pakistani fishers since 2012

Added to Press Releases on 31 August 2020

Since the start of WWF-Pakistan’s observer programme in 2012, a total of 110 whale sharks have been safely released by trained fishermen. This conservation win for the species was mainly achieved thanks to capacity building, especially training in safe handling and release practices, and an awareness campaign among the local fishers.

A promising future for the gentle giants of Mafia, Tanzania

Added to Press Releases on 31 August 2020

Every year, 30 August marks the international Whale Shark Day. In Tanzania this day brought some good news with the increase of whale shark numbers from 100 individuals in 2012 to 206 in December 2019.

19 new whale sharks identified in Donsol throughout 2020

Added to Press Releases on 31 August 2020

WWF-Philippines has identified 19 new individual whale sharks in the waters of Ticao-Burias Pass Protected Seascape (TBPPS) since the start of 2020.

Five Incredible Whale Shark Discoveries of the Last Decade

Added to Blogs on 27 August 2020

By Magda Nieduzak

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!

Congo fishermen turn to sharks, but massive over capacity of fishing fleets puts local food security, livelihoods and shark populations at risk

Added to Press Releases on 17 August 2020

Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, 17 August 2020—Congolese artisanal fishers are increasingly turning to shark fishing because of increased scarcity of other stocks overfished by industrial fisheries: urgent legislative and management improvements are needed to prevent a collapse of shark fishing and protect local livelihoods finds a new TRAFFIC report.

Gill net buyback promising news for sharks and other threatened marine life on the Great Barrier Reef

Added to Press Releases on 30 July 2020

WWF-Australia welcomed the Queensland Liberal National Party’s policy announcement of a AU$6 million voluntary buy-back scheme prioritising the purchase of gill net licences operating in the far northern Great Barrier Reef. This section of the Reef supports populations of dugongs, sawfish, endangered sharks, turtles, and inshore dolphins, with all these threatened species at risk of entangling in gill nets and dying.

Hong Kong Shark Fin Imports Down 70% Since 2009

Added to Press Releases on 14 July 2020

WWF-Hong Kong’s work to reduce the demand for shark fin in the city continues to show promising results, with a 40% drop in year-on-year imports in 2019 to 2,792 tonnes, representing a 70% drop over the past decade, according to figures from the Census and Statistics Department. Since 2011, an annual average of 33% of those fins were re-exported to other countries or regions such as Viet Nam, mainland China and Macau. A downward trend of shark fins retained in the city is observed over the same period, which may indicate that the shark fin consumption has been driven down.

Six Solutions to Save Sharks

Added to Blogs on 14 July 2020

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.

Nine Cool Shark and Ray Superpowers

Added to Blogs on 13 July 2020

By Magda Nieduzak

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.