Sharks and rays in the Western Indian Ocean are facing an extinction crisis. Almost half of the region’s 270 known species (46%) are currently threatened with extinction. A recently released study by the Shark Specialist Group of the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, mapped out areas that are vital for the species’ survival, while finding that only a fraction of them overlap with currently protected areas. The research identified 125 Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) covering 2.8 million square kilometers (1.1 million square miles) across the Western Indian Ocean, which stretches from South Africa to the Indian subcontinent and includes island nations like Seychelles and the Maldives. “The most striking finding is how poorly these important habitats are currently protected,” Rima Jabado, chair of the Shark Specialist Group, told Mongabay. Only 7.1% of ISRAs overlap with any marine protected area, and just 1.2% fall within fully protected no-take zones, where no fishing is allowed. “The vast majority of places that are essential for sharks and rays remain open to fishing pressure,” Jabado said. An Important Shark and Ray Area is a defined part of the ocean that’s critical for the survival of one or more shark, ray or chimaera species. “What distinguishes an ISRA from other marine areas is that it is identified using standardized, evidence-based criteria that reflect how they use space throughout their life cycle,” Jabado said. A shoal of spinetail devil rays (Mobula mobular), whose conservation status worsened in 2025 from endangered to critically endangered…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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