What’s Happening to the World’s Sharks and Rays?

Listen here for a new episode of the World of Sharks podcast featuring Rima Jabado and Alexandra Morata, chair and program officer of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (SSG), respectively. This episode highlights the 7th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) and the published Global status of sharks, rays, and chimaeras report.

Twenty years ago, the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group released a pivotal report Sharks, rays and chimaeras: The status of chondrichthyan fishes. It was the first of its kind; a synthesis of information on sharks, rays and chimaeras from all over the world. It contained overviews from nine regions, detailing information about the biology and status of species, current threats to those species, and any management or conservation measures that were already in place. It also suggested research and conservation priorities – information that was then used to inform action for the following two decades. Since the release of that report, the field has advanced at a rapid pace. More people are working with sharks than ever before, and we have much more data than we did in 2005. The world has also changed. The overexploitation of sharks and their relatives has continued, pushing many closer to the brink of extinction. Species are also facing the ever-advancing threat of climate change. But, in some regions, there are also beacons of hope: signs that sustainable fisheries management and marine protection is working. And so, it was time to compile a new report, one that was even bigger than the last.

In this special bonus episode of World of Sharks, host Isla sits down with chair of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group, Dr Rima Jabado, and program officer for the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group Alexandra Morata to discuss their latest report The Global status of sharks, rays and chimaeras.

Listen online here.