Scientists Map 816 Ocean Areas to Save Sharks and Rays

Scientists just handed the world a treasure map for ocean conservation, and it shows exactly where to protect sharks and rays before it's too late.

The new "Ocean Travellers" report identifies 816 Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) across nine ocean regions. Each location hosts critical activities like reproduction or feeding for threatened species, and anyone can explore them on a free online atlas.

Here's the encouraging part: these crucial areas take up less than 3% of the ocean's surface in the regions studied so far. "This shows how achievable conservation of sharks and rays is," says Rima Jabado, chair of the IUCN's Shark Specialist Group, which created the report.

Shark and ray populations have crashed by more than 70% since 1970, mainly from overfishing. The shortfin mako shark, now endangered, would take decades to recover even if all fishing stopped today.

The atlas covers 327 shark and ray species, with special attention to 42 protected under international treaties. This includes all five critically endangered sawfish species, like the green sawfish in the Red Sea, where observers spot only one animal every five to ten years.

The mapped areas vary dramatically in size. The Maldives contains 27 small protected zones, while an area south of Hawaii for bigeye thresher sharks spans roughly the size of Colombia.

The timing matters. Researchers released the report ahead of a major United Nations meeting in Brazil this March, where governments will make decisions about protecting marine species. "We're doing the work for the government, so they don't need to do it," Jabado told reporters.

The Ripple Effect

This shark and ray map is part of something bigger. Similar atlases already exist for marine mammals, sea turtles, and birds. Scientists plan to overlay all these maps to show governments their "biggest bang for the buck" in protecting ocean biodiversity.

The ISRAs themselves don't create automatic protections, but they give policymakers clear targets. Currently, only a tiny fraction of these areas overlap with strictly protected marine zones, leaving enormous room for progress.

Four more ocean regions will be mapped and released later this year, completing the global picture. Until recently, sharks and rays haven't been conservation priorities, but Jabado says "the conversation is changing."

The atlas proves that saving these ancient ocean creatures doesn't require protecting the entire sea, just the places that matter most.