Safeguarding Sharks Through Sound Conservation Policy

New Report Shows Most Countries are Falling Short on Commitments to Protect Sharks and RaysNew Report Shows Most Countries are Falling Short on Commitments to Protect Sharks and Rays

Monaco, December 13, 2018. Most countries are not living up to shark and ray protection commitments made under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), according to conservationists. A comprehensive review released today by Shark Advocates International (SAI), Sharks Ahead, documents national and regional actions for 29 shark and ray species listed under CMS from 1999 to 2014. At a shark-focused CMS meeting this week, the authors highlight their findings and make urgent calls for action. Read More

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New 10-year Strategy for Protecting Sharks and Rays

A group of experts from international conservation organizations is announcing a new strategy for combating the decline of sharks and closely related rays, while warning that the rays are even more threatened and less protected than the higher profile sharks. Read More

Global Priorities for Conserving Sharks & Rays



Conserving Migratory Sharks & Rays: Priorities for Action


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New Fact Sheet

Manta and Devil Rays (Mobulids)of the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Manta and devil ray species (family Mobulidae) are facing heavy targeted and incidental fishing pressure around the world, increasingly driven by escalating Chinese demand for their gill plates.

Convention on Migratory Species Meeting

We're in Quito, Ecuador for the Convention on Migratory Species Conference of Parties where the agenda is dominated by proposals to list rays and sharks (sawfishes, devil rays, threshers, hammerheads, and silky sharks). Learn more about these species and what listing would mean from our coalition fact sheets, and follow the action through November 9 using #CMSCoP11 and #SharksWithoutBorders on Twitter!

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TAKE ACTION!

SMALL SHARKS, BIG FISHERIES: Please help limit fishing, prevent finning!

Washington, DC. August 15, 2014. Just in time for Shark Week, concerned citizens have great opportunities to help improve fishing and finning policies for the two most heavily fished sharks in the US: Smooth and Spiny Dogfishes.

These two small species are taken in great numbers for their meat and fins, mostly for export to Europe and Asia. They aren't nearly as loved as bigger sharks, and have fallen through some important management cracks. Dogfish deserve sound fishing and finning policies, just like other sharks! Please weigh in with fishery managers during these two key comment periods. Read More

Features

Countries Propose Global Protection for Rays,
Regional Conservation for Sharks

Washington, DC. June 11, 2014. Shark Advocates International is welcoming an unprecedented suite of proposals from Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) to list 21 species of rays and sharks on the CMS Appendices. Two species of hammerheads, all three threshers, and the silky shark have been proposed for CMS Appendix II, which would encourage regional cooperation to conserve shared populations. All five sawfishes, nine devil rays, and the reef manta are proposed for Appendix I & II; Appendix I listing would bring obligations for strict protection. Read more...

Endangered Sawfish: IUCN Strategy Released as Global Protection Proposed

Durban, South Africa. June 5, 2014. The Shark Specialist Group (SSG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is today releasing a global strategy to prevent extinction and promote recovery of sawfishes, which have been devastated worldwide by overfishing and habitat loss. The strategy is being launched at the Sharks International conference in Durban and coincides with announcements that two West Africa countries -- Guinea and Guinea Bissau - are proposing the listing of sawfishes under the Convention on Migratory Species in November, which could significantly boost protections. Read more...

Dogfish Are Sharks Too! Coastal species often called "dogfish" need sound conservation policies and strict finning bans, just like bigger sharks

Protecting sharks from unsustainable trade: All eyes on CITES

Shark Advocates International, like conservationists from around the world, is now keenly focused on the March 3-15 Conference of Parties (CoP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Bangkok, Thailand. There, Parties will vote on a record number of proposals for controlling trade in a variety of threatened sharks and rays, including hammerheads and mantas. Click here to see our new fact sheets on these species. Read more...

Landslide Vote in European Parliament Puts Stronger EU Finning Ban in Reach

Shark Advocates International (SAI) is joining the chorus of conservation groups worldwide heralding the recent European Parliament vote to close loopholes in the European Union (EU) ban on shark finning (the wasteful process of slicing off a shark's fins and discarding the body at sea). The vote represented the culmination of six years of intense campaigning and debate.

On November 22, Members of the European Parliament voted 566-47 in favor of a proposal from the European Commission to prohibit removal of shark fins on board fishing vessels (and thereby require that all sharks landed still have their fins naturally attached). Read more...

• News Releases
• Fact Sheets

• The complicated relationship between shark conservationists and 'Shark Week'
• Shark Week 2014: The Good, The Bad And The Bloody
• Manta ray protection policy warmly welcomed
• Slaughterhouse Said to Process "Horrifying" Number of Whale Sharks Annually