Global status of sharks, rays, and chimaeras – Indian Ocean
In December 2024, a report on the ‘Global status of sharks, rays and chimaeras’ was published by the IUCN. Marine Science Programme scientists contributed their time and knowledge to deliver sections within the Indian Ocean Chapter which can be read here: Global Status Sharks and Rays_Indian Ocean Chapter
ABSTRACT
In the 20 years since the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group’s first status report (2005), much has changed for sharks, rays and chimaeras. This report updates our understanding, and the scope of information reflects the scale of these two decades of change. The breadth of research topics has expanded, mirroring the inclusion of a greater diversity of species, and attention is being trained on the emerging threats and the accelerating global changes to aquatic ecosystems. The 2005 report heralded a sea change for sharks, rays and chimaeras, whose historical obscurity in policy, conservation and fisheries management was a serious concern. In this report, the increased focus that was called for is now apparent in the scale of work happening across the planet.
Jabado, R.W., Morata, A.Z.A., Bennett, R.H., Finucci, B., Ellis, J.R., Fowler, S.L., Grant, M.I., Barbosa Martins, A.P., & Sinclair, S.L. (eds.) (2024). The global status of sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. https://doi.org/10.59216/ssg.gsrsrc.2024