This week the Government of Bangladesh took a major step to improve the protection of threatened sharks and rays by updating the list of species and species groups under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012. The updated list empowers the strict protection of eight genera and 23 shark and ray species, while allowing the sustainable exploitation, consumption, and trade of one genus and 29 species if their catch is found to be non-detrimental to wild populations.

​Bangladesh is a global hotspot for sharks and rays. Many species are threatened with extinction without urgent action taken to protect them. Sharks and rays are highly valued for their fins, gill plates and skins exported to international markets, especially China.

A new analysis published today in the journal Current Biology finds that one-third of the world’s chondrichthyan fishes – sharks, rays, and chimaeras – are now threatened with extinction according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria.