Sharks and Rays are among the most endangered species on the planet and often aren’t at the top of popular conservation efforts. A new study plans to improve their protection in South Africa; welcome news on Shark Awareness Day!
South Africa (14 July 2023)— Shark Awareness Day marks a time to reflect on how we perceive aquatic life that (for most people) isn’t always as front of mind as penguins, turtles or seals.
Thanks to negative media and film coverage over the years, sharks often don’t make it to the top of many conservation efforts and aren’t always thought about as animals that need to be protected by the general public.
In fact, sharks and rays are some of the most endangered species on the planet and are vital to oceanic ecosystems.
But, this Shark Awareness Day comes with extra good tidings! Leading Conservation Organisation WILDTRUST has been hard at work on a ground-breaking study that will help protection efforts for both sharks and rays (Chondrichthyans) in South Africa.
This follows an incredible effort by WILDTRUST through their ‘ON THE BRINK’ project, a national campaign that brought South Africans closer to the marine conservation efforts that often go under the radar (pun absolutely intended).
Together with multiple collaborators, WILDTRUST embarked on a deep dive to put together the new study, ‘A Systematic Conservation Plan Identifying Critical Areas for Improved Chondrichthyan Protection in South Africa’, to help the areas that need to be protected get the help they need.
But, the first goal was to identify those key areas within South Africa’s continental waters.
Here’s What the Deep Diving Study Shared:
- 87 shark and ray distribution maps were created, showing the range of sharks and rays in South Africa’s Ocean—where they live and the habitats they are associated with in our ocean space. These were also provided as input into South Africa’s National Critical Biodiversity Area (CBA) map.
- Findings indicate that a 10% Marine Protected Area target of the South African mainland EEZ is sufficient to meet a 30 % range protection target across all modelled species and range protection targets up to 60 % for other species. This represents a 5% expansion of the current network.
- Important areas for sharks and rays were identified in the context of existing MPAs and fisheries pressure in South Africa. These areas should be targeted for increased protection through either spatial management measures or fisheries measures.
The full study can be found here.
Why Are Sharks and Rays Endangered?
Sharks and rays face this plight primarily due to overfishing. Their slow growth, late maturity, and low reproductive rates make them particularly susceptible to threats that result in population declines.
The Shark and Ray Protection Project is Fighting Back
The recent study forms part of the South African “Shark and Ray Protection Project” which began in 2019 as South Africa is a global hotspot for shark and ray diversity. One of the primary objectives of the project was to identify areas in South Africa’s waters crucial for the conservation of threatened and endemic species, as defined by the IUCN Red List.
Once the study’s data was validated, it was used to create distribution maps that predict the areas where a species is likely to be found, as well as carefully identifying key areas for conservation whilst limiting as much as possible the impact on conflicting uses. In the context of sharks and rays, this would mean identifying where increased protection from fisheries could occur, especially for critically endangered and vulnerable species, whilst also not overlapping too much with major fishing grounds.
Looking ahead, the study provides a significant milestone in the conservation of sharks and rays in South Africa as well as a solid foundation for further improvement and action for shark and ray conservation in South Africa’s waters.
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