CONSERVATION STATUS & THREAT

DRIVEN BY SCIENCE 

Our work is deeply rooted in science and the principles of sustainability. Science removes guesswork. It enables us to make informed decisions. So we can direct our efforts where it's needed most and get results. The IUCN Red List gives us a means to assess risk and set priorities.

HOW BAD IS IT?

The results of the most recent full assessment of all shark and ray species were published in 2021. The name of the report “Overfishing drives over one-third of all sharks and rays toward a global extinction crisis” speaks for itself.

So, 1/3 of species are considered “threatened with extinction”. What does this mean?

IUCN RED LIST

The status of species is determined by the IUCN Red List assessment process. The IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network. It supports scientific research and manages field projects all over the world. Bringing together governments, Non-Government Organisations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities.

The Red List assessment is essentially a standardised and robust risk assessment process. Carried out by species experts. It categorises species into one of 9 categories: 

• Extinct (EX) - No known individuals remaining.
  
  
• Extinct in the Wild (EW) - Known only to survive in captivity. Or as a naturalised population.
  
  
• Critically Endangered (CR) - Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
  
  
• Endangered (EN) - Very high risk of extinction in the wild.
  
  
• Vulnerable (VU) - High risk of extinction in the wild.
  
  
• Near Threatened (NT) - Likely to become endangered in the near future.
  
  
• Least Concern (LC) - Lowest risk of extinction.
  
  
• Data Deficient (DD) - Not enough data to make an assessment. It's vital that we find out more about these species. In particular, what impacts fishing and other pressures are having on their populations. Without this crucial information there's no scientific basis to intervene. 
• Not Evaluated (NE) - Has not yet been evaluated.

SO, WHAT DOES THREATENED MEAN?

“Threatened” means that a species has been assessed as being in one of three of the above categories:

• Critically Endangered
• Endangered
• Vulnerable

It’s a very specific term and reflects the latest scientific information. Like “endangered”, the word “threatened” is often used more informally. It’s always worth checking.

SO ARE THINGS GETTING WORSE?

This isn't an easy question to answer. Looking at the graphic above it seems things have worsened since the last report in 2014. But it's important to note that researchers have greatly improved data collection methods in the last few years. So, we now know more about the state of sharks, skates and rays than ever before. In reality, it's a combination of both. Nevertheless, there are now more threatened species than previously thought.

► Find out about what we are doing to help improve the conservation status of sharks and rays.

► Data is invaluable in assessing extinction risk. Find out how you can help gather data on sharks and rays as a citizen scientist.

Banner image © Caroline Robertson-Brown