​A recent assessment using the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species indicated that more than one-third of sharks, rays, and chimaeras are threatened with extinction.  

The IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group (SSG) has released a compendium of Important Shark and Ray Area from the Mediterranean and Black Seas (view document here). These areas range in size from just 0.09 square kilometers to 219,000 square kilometers, encompassing shallow coastal waters to habitats more than 2,000 meters deep. They are important for species including the Critically Endangered Blackchin Guitarfish (Glaucostegus cemiculus) and the Endangered Rough Skate (Raja radula), as well as commonly fished species like the Common Smoothhound (Mustelus mustelus). These habitats are used by these species as mating or aggregation sites, nursery areas, feeding locations, or migratory pathways. More than 50% of shark and ray species in the Mediterranean Sea are considered threatened with extinction, and these newly identified areas should be considered for protection.  

​Thessaloniki, Greece. May 12, 2023. This week marks the first time a team of global and regional experts have gathered to map critical habitats for sharks, rays, and chimaeras across the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The five-day workshop, organized by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group and hosted by iSea, allowed over 180 experts to contribute online and in person to the process of delineating Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) in this region.

​«Initiatives have been developed for specific taxa, such as birds (Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas) and marine mammals (Important Marine Mammal Areas) and for biodiversity more generally (Key Biodiversity Areas and Ecological or Biologically Significant Marine Areas). These approaches are now well accepted and utilized in spatial and conservation planning. Until recently, such an approach had yet to focus on sharks and their relatives, the rays and chimaeras (hereafter collectively referred to as sharks), one of the most threatened faunal lineages (37% of species are categorized as threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List).» 

The Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) project has released the first electronic atlas of priority areas for sharks, rays, and chimaeras (also known as ‘ghost sharks’). Sharks and rays are some of the most threatened vertebrates on Earth, and are in desperate need of new and improved management. The ISRA project uses the best available science to identify regions across global waters most critical for the long term survival of sharks, rays, and chimaeras. These include places where species of concern mate, reproduce, feed, rest, or aggregate as well as key stopovers during a migration.

​Vancouver, Canada. February 7, 2023. The Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) project has released the first electronic atlas of priority areas for sharks, rays, and chimaeras (also known as ‘ghost sharks’). Sharks and rays are some of the most threatened vertebrates on Earth, and are in desperate need of new and improved management. The ISRA project uses the best available science to identify regions across global waters most critical for the long term survival of sharks, rays, and chimaeras. These include places where species of concern mate, reproduce, feed, rest, or aggregate as well as key stopovers during a migration.

The identification of ISRAs is achieved through the application of scientifically based criteria. The ISRA Criteria were developed to provide a framework to objectively identify areas of importance to sharks, crucial for their persistence and, where required, recovery.