Sharks, rays and chimaeras are now the second-most threatened vertebrate group, after amphibians. In a recent study, we found that over one...
Sharks, rays and chimaeras are now the second-most threatened vertebrate group, after amphibians. In a recent study, we found that over one-third of sharks and rays are threatened with extinction. Our findings are a wake-up call.
When the International Union for the Conservation of Nature released its updated Red List of Endangered Species in September, it included our latest assessments of the status of sharks and rays. These species are more at risk of extinction than previously thought.
As lead assessors of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, we reassessed the extinction risk of all species of sharks and rays. This eight-year project took hundreds of experts from all over the world to compile the data we needed to shed light on the status of sharks and rays. Unfortunately, the data told us that we may be seeing the beginning of the end of their 420-million-year reign over the oceans.
Free fall
Of the 1,199 species of sharks and rays, 391 (32.5%) are classified in one of the three threatened categories: “critically endangered”, “endangered” and “vulnerable.” Additionally, 123 (10.4%) are “near threatened,” 529 (44.1%) are of “least concern”, and 156 (12.9%) are “data deficient”. Overall, as many as 450 species (37.5%) of sharks and rays may be “threatened” if the “data deficient” species are as...
