Extinction risk and conservation of the world's sharks and rays.pdf (3.51 MB)
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journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 08:49 authored by Dulvy, NK, Fowler, SL, Musick, JA, Cavanagh, RD, Kyne, PM, Harrison, LR, Carlson, JK, Davidson, LNK, Fordham, SV, Francis, MP, Pollock, CM, Simpfendorfer, CA, Burgess, GH, Carpenter, KE, Compagno, LJV, Ebert, DA, Gibson, C, Heupel, MR, Livingstone, SR, Sanciangco, JC, Stevens, JD, Valenti, S, White, WTThe rapid expansion of human activities threatens ocean-wide biodiversity. Numerous marine animal populations have declined, yet it remains unclear whether these trends are symptomatic of a chronic accumulation of global marine extinction risk. We present the first systematic analysis of threat for a globally distributed lineage of 1,041 chondrichthyan fishes-sharks, rays, and chimaeras. We estimate that one-quarter are threatened according to IUCN Red List criteria due to overfishing (targeted and incidental). Large-bodied, shallow-water species are at greatest risk and five out of the seven most threatened families are rays. Overall chondrichthyan extinction risk is substantially higher than for most other vertebrates, and only one-third of species are considered safe. Population depletion has occurred throughout the world's ice-free waters, but is particularly prevalent in the Indo-Pacific Biodiversity Triangle and Mediterranean Sea. Improved management of fisheries and trade is urgently needed to avoid extinctions and promote population recovery.
History
Publication title
eLifeArticle number
e00590Number
e00590Pagination
1-34ISSN
2050-084XDepartment/School
Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesPublisher
eLife Sciences Publications LtdPlace of publication
United StatesRights statement
Licensed under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/Repository Status
- Open