New global map shows where sharks and rays most need protection

© Larsvon Ritter Zahony | Ocean Image Bank

Read the latest update on the Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) project. Featured on Mongabay, this article highlights "Ocean Travellers: Safeguarding Critical Habitats for Migratory Sharks and Rays". This new report delineates 816 areas of the ocean that should be protected to help shark and ray populations recover following decades of overfishing.

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SOURCE | Mongabay

Shark and ray populations are struggling across the world due to overfishing and other threats. A new report delineates 816 areas of the ocean that should be protected to help them recover.

The report “Ocean Travellers” was published in December by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, but wasn’t publicly announced until Jan. 14. Almost all of the 816 areas, known as Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs), host key activities, such as reproduction, for at least one threatened shark or ray species. They’re visible on an online atlas open to the public.

Read the full article here.