IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group
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News

New guides to bolster shark and ray research and species identification in Southeast Asia

29/4/2021

 
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The CITES Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) have jointly published two guides to facilitate the identification of shark and ray species common in the Southeast Asian region.
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The purpose of the guides is to provide an accessible tool to help fisheries officers, fisheries researchers, CITES authorities and other relevant stakeholders in identifying sharks and rays commonly found in the Southeast Asian region.

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Shark News | Issue 01 | April 2021

20/4/2021

 
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We want to invite you to discover the first issue of the official IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group (SSG) newsletter.
Shark News was the official SSG newsletter from June 1994 to October 2004. We have now revived this magazine to provide a forum for exchanging information on all aspects of shark, ray, and chimaera conservation matters for SSG members and the general interested audience. Shark News has been reshaped into a modern quarterly magazine also to be used as an outreach and educational tool.

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Research for conservation and management

20/4/2021

 
Region Update | Indian Ocean
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Written by Daniel Fernando
  • Blue Resources Trust | Co-Founder and Director
  • IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (SSG) | Regional Vice-Chair | Indian Ocean
Despite being an island nation, Sri Lanka often lacks the scientific data and tools necessary to monitor the marine environment and effectively conserve and manage its ocean resources. And it was a combination of this need for data, along with the challenges encountered when attempting research as an independent marine biologist, that led to the establishment of Blue Resources Trust (BRT).

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Putting a face to a name

19/4/2021

 
Description of a new species of skate hitherto known only from egg cases described over 100 years ago​
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Written by Simon Weigmann
  • Chair | Integrative Taxonomy Working Group | IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (SSG)
  • Associate Scientist | Center of Natural History | University of Hamburg
  • Chair | German Elasmobranch Society (D.E.G.)
Bathyraja arctowskii is an exceptional case in skate taxonomy as it was named by Dollo in 1904 based only on three empty egg capsules of tiny size from off the Antarctic Peninsula. The species as such remained undescribed for more than 100 years. The reason was the lack of specimens that could be assigned to Dollo's small egg capsules.

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Report on the meeting of the Working Group on Recreational Fishing

18/4/2021

 
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Update from the IUCN SSG Mediterranean Region
Fabrizio Serena
  • Co-Regional Vice-Chair | IUCN Shark Specialist Group for the Mediterranean
  • National Research Council | Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies
Monica Barone
  • Member of IUCN Shark Specialist Group Fisheries Resources Consultant
An online meeting of the Working Group on Recreational Fishing (WGRF) was held on 25 and 26 of February 2021. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) coordinated the meeting. The Working Group’s main objective is to fill the main data gaps in this activity and produce helpful advice to support the sustainable management of recreational fisheries from an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries perspective.

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Pakistan- Sawfish status and update

18/4/2021

 
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Written by Muhammad Moazzam Khan
  • WWF-Pakistan | Technical Advisor
  • Member of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (SSG)
Sawfishes have become one of the rarest groups of marine animals with many populations at high risk of extinction. Three species of sawfishes, i.e. Narrow (Anoxypristis cuspidata), Largetooth tooth (Pristis pristis) and Green (Pristis zijsron), are known from Pakistan. Information about sawfishes in Pakistan is available through the work efforts of Moazzam and Osmany (2014).

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Globally, reef sharks are least abundant in East Africa: restoration possible through conservation and policy measures

18/4/2021

 
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Update from the IUCN SSG Africa Region
By Kennedy Osuka | CORDIO East Africa
A first global study published in Nature found reef sharks were absent on almost 20% of the 371 coral reefs sampled in 58 nations across the world. The study provides conclusive evidence of a severe decline in reef sharks on a global scale which is directly linked to fishing, but confirms protected areas and fishing gear restrictions are effective in maintaining healthy reef shark populations. The results were based on 15,165 hours of baited remote underwater video (BRUV) footage around the world.

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Field Guide to Sharks, Rays, & Chimaeras of Europe and the Mediterranean

18/4/2021

 
NEW PUBLICATION
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Written by ​David Ebert and Marc Dando
The waters of the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea are home to an amazing variety of sharks, rays, and chimaeras. The newly published Field Guide to Sharks, Rays, & Chimaeras of Europe and the Mediterranean covers all 146 species found in the Mediterranean, the waters of the European Atlantic and Iceland, along all the Scandinavian coasts, in the Black Sea and as far south as the Canary Islands. ​
The region can lay claim to the 10th most diverse chondrichthyes fauna in the world; representing nearly 12% of all known species, including about 25 endemic European Atlantic and nine endemic Mediterranean Sea species.

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Contribution of the Russian SSG team to elasmobranch research during last decade

17/4/2021

 
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by Alexei M. Orlov | Former Regional Vice-Chair | Northwestern Pacific
In the Russian Federation, there is currently almost no targeted scientific research of cartilaginous fish, which is due to a number of reasons. First, the fauna of cartilaginous fish in the waters of Russia is quite poor, since most of its seas are located in temperate and cold waters, which are characterized by a low species diversity of the considered group of fish. Secondly, there is no specialized fishing of cartilaginous fish in Russia, which are caught as by-catch in trawl, net and longline fisheries. In the domestic market, products made from shark and ray meat are in very low demand, so most of them are sold in Asian fish markets.

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Curious about what shark species occur in South Africa?

17/4/2021

 

First SA Shark checklist – Published

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A first ever dedicated checklist of South Africa’s chondrichthyan fauna provides a current list of all sharks, rays, skates and ghost sharks that occur in South African waters, their distribution and current IUCN Red List status.

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Copyright © 2025 | IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group | All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
    • Sponsors
    • Communication >
      • Visual Identity and Brand Guide
    • Documents
    • Membership | TOR
    • FAQ
  • Members
    • Who We Are >
      • Our Team
      • Our Members
      • Our History
    • Where We Work >
      • North America
      • Central America and the Caribbean
      • South America
      • Northern Europe
      • Mediterranean
      • Africa
      • Indian Ocean
      • ​Asia
      • Oceania
    • What We Do >
      • Aquarium Working Group
      • Assess Working Group
      • Bycatch Working Group
      • Communication Working Group
      • Deepwater Chondrichthyans Working Group
      • Human Dimensions Working Group
      • Integrative Taxonomy Working Group
      • Marine Historical Ecology Working Group
  • Resources
    • Shark News >
      • Shark News | Submission Guidelines
    • Shark News Legacy
    • Important Shark and Ray Areas
    • Publications >
      • 2024 Global Status Report
      • Status Reports
      • Fisheries Management
      • Conservation Strategies
      • Migratory Species
      • SSG Statements
      • Identification Guide
      • Trade
      • Other
    • Scientific References
    • Conservation Strategies >
      • Conservation Strategies: Sawfish
      • Conservation Strategies: Devil and Manta Rays
      • Conservation Strategies: Angel Sharks
    • Policy Planning >
      • CITES >
        • CITES 17th CoP
      • The Convention on Migratory Species and Sharks
      • The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (Sharks MOU)
      • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Sharks
      • RFMOs
      • IPOA-Sharks
    • Workshops >
      • IUCN SSC SSG Workshops
      • Red List News
    • Press
    • Links
    • Media Resources >
      • Angel Shark Images and Captions for Media Use
      • Wedgefish & Guitarfish Images for Media Use
      • Sawfish Images for Media Use
  • News
  • Contact
  • Donate