Western Indian Ocean: A Regional Compendium of Important Shark and Ray Areas

The third region region targeted by the Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA)  project covered the Western Indian Ocean. This regional expert workshop was held in in Durban, South Africa from 11–15 September 2023. This compendium provides an overview of all areas delineated.

The third Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) regional expert workshop was held in hybrid mode (in person and online) in Durban, South Africa from 11–15 September 2023. The goal was to identify and delineate three-dimensional and discrete portions of habitat that are critical to the survival of sharks, rays, and chimaeras(hereafter ‘sharks’), and that have the potential to be managed for conservation. The region covered was the Western Indian Ocean. This scientific collaboration amongst regional and global experts resulted in the identification of 125 Important Shark and Ray Areas, 1 candidate ISRA, and 45 Areas of Interest. Identified ISRAs range in size from small areas of 0.03 km2 at depths of 0–40 m (Maroshi Thila in the Maldives) to very large areas of 1,454,950 km2 (Western Agulhas Front which is completely in areas beyond national jurisdiction [ABNJ]) from surface waters to a depth of 180 m.

Citation |
​Jabado RW, Kyne PM, García-Rodríguez E, Charles R, Armstrong AO, Mouton TL, Gonzalez-Pestana A, Battle-Morera A, Rohner CA. 2023. Western Indian Ocean: A regional compendium of Important Shark and Ray Areas. Dubai: IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. https://doi.org/10.59216/ssg.isra.2023.r7

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