King of the open seas, the Oceanic Whitetip Shark was once extremely common and widely distributed in the warmer oceans around the world. This slow-moving and inquisitive shark cruises slowly along the top of the water column looking to spot prey. Now it is on the brink of extinction inContinue Reading
LONDON (UK)- One of the fastest shark species of the world has seen a decline of 60% in the Atlantic over about 75 years. IUCN warns for the threatening extinction of the shortfin mako shark in the Atlantic Ocean. Its cousin the Longfin Mako Shark has also been assessed asContinue Reading
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and Humane Society International (HSI) today launched the Shark Champions campaign to build a national community of advocates for protecting sharks and rays in Australia. Australia is home to more than 320 shark and ray species, half of which are unique to Australia’s waters.Continue Reading
BATON ROUGE (USA)- Shark attacks across the globe have doubled in the last 20 years, according to a new study , led by Louisiana State University Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Assistant Professor Stephen Midway . Yet the rate of attack is low and the risk of being attackedContinue Reading
Large, predatory sharks occupy the top of ocean food chains, where they play important roles in maintaining diverse and healthy ecosystems. The loss of these predators can therefore have significant impacts on ecosystems. Morne Hardenberg/Shark Explorers By Alison Kock, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity and Tamlyn Engelbrecht, University ofContinue Reading
DUBLIN (IRELAND)- Over 60 percent of all sharks and rays in Irish waters are threatened with extinction or ‘near threatened. Last month the Irish navy detained Spanish fishermen for allegedly finning sharks at sea, a practice that has been banned in EU waters since 2013. More protection is urgently needed,Continue Reading
ANTANANARIVO (MADAGASCAR)-The isolated island continent of Madagascar is a hotspot for whale sharks. This was confirmed by a new study published in the journal Endangered Species Research this summer. It revealed that juvenile whale sharks swim to Madagascar to feed. 85 individual sharks were identified in a single season usingContinue Reading