One Quarter of Sharks and Rays Threatened with Extinction

A quarter of the world's sharks and rays are threatened with extinction, according to IUCN Red List™ criteria, with rays at greater risk than sharks

PRESS RELEASE | Gland, Switzerland | January 21, 2014

Pelagic Thresher Shark (Alopias pelagicus) © Bo Mancao

The findings, published today in the journal eLife, are part of a global assessment of 1,041 species conducted by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group. Ray and sharks are at substantially higher risk than most other groups of animals and have the lowest percentage of species considered safe. Overfishing is the main threat.

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