Updates
A conservation coalition launches the Shark and Ray Recovery Initiative
(19 May 2022) WWF in partnership with Elasmo Project, James Cook University, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) launch the Shark and Ray Recovery Initiative (SARRI) as a global response to bring sharks and rays back from the brink.
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WWF-Australia creates 100,000 km2 safe haven for marine wildlife in northern Great Barrier Reef
The World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia has effectively created a 100,000 square kilometre refuge where sharks, rays, dugongs, inshore dolphins, and turtles can be free from commercial gill nets. To achieve this, WWF has just purchased and shelved the last commercial gill net licence holding a sizeable quota for the region.
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Our 2020-2021 shark and ray conservation highlights
Welcome to the latest update on the progress we are making together to help conserve sharks and rays around the world. Here is a snapshot of some of the fin-tastic things you've helped us achieve in 2020-2021, from discovering a new shark and ray hotspot in Fiji, to testing an innovative method of keeping these animals out of the nets in India, to assisting seven different countries with their national conservation plans for sharks and rays. Enjoy the read!
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A deep-dive into shark and ray MPAs helps protect the species in Malaysia
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.
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US$2.6 billion global trade in shark and ray meat feeds the ocean crisis
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.
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Rare angelsharks come to life in the middle of Croatia's capital
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.
See WWF-Adria news
China and Thailand join WWF’s regional shark fin programme
WWF is now working in six key Asian markets leading efforts to reduce the unsustainable demand for shark fin.
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Urgent call to action for oceanic sharks and rays
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.
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Angels of the Adriatic: Next steps for a potential hotspot
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.
See WWF-MMI Report
Virtual shark and ray MPA workshop held for the Coral Triangle
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).
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Indian Ocean's sharks and rays still not a priority for the regional fisheries body
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.
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IUCN releases the only 2020 Red List update for elasmobranchs
The International Union for Conservation of Nature published newly updated Red List status for 37 shark, ray, and chimaera species in the only elasmobranch update of this year.
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Illegal fishing of sharks and rays caught on camera in the Mediterranean
All kinds of species of sharks and rays – some of them critically endangered – are regularly illegally caught by nets and longlines in the Mediterranean, as compelling reports obtained by WWF reveals.
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Migratory sharks and rays receive extra protection at the recent global meeting of the Convention on Migratory Species
22 February 2020 marked the end of the 13th Conference of the Parties (CoP13) to the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Taking place in Gandhinagar, India, the CoP13 concluded with positive results for several species of threatened migratory sharks and rays.
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IUCN Red List Update: Ongoing industrial fishing drives pelagic sharks and rays closer to extinction
11 December 2019 - The International Union for Conservation of Nature released updates on the conservation status of 29 species of sharks, rays, and skates on 10 December 2019. These Red List reassessments reveal a particularly high extinction risk in pelagic species, with some of the most iconic animals now Critically Endangered or Endangered due to overfishing in the high seas.
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