42% of shark and ray species in the Mediterranean are threatened with extinction, according to a new report from the IUCN – World Conservation Union. The region has the highest percentage of threatened sharks and rays in the world.
Overfishing, including bycatch, is the main cause of decline; habitat degradation, recreational fisheries and other human disturbances are also significant. Bottom dwelling species appear to be at greatest risk in this region, due mainly to intense fishing of the seabed.
These are the findings of an expert workshop at which 71 Mediterranean species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (cartilaginous fishes) were assessed using IUCN Red List categories and criteria. Participants deemed 30 species as threatened with extinction, of which 13 are classified at the highest threat level of Critically Endangered, eight as Endangered and nine as Vulnerable. Another 13 species were assessed as Near Threatened, while a lack of information led to 18 species being classified as Data Deficient. Only 10 species are considered to be of Least Concern.
Eleonora de Sabata
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For more information:
Cavanagh, Rachel D. and Gibson, Claudine. 2007. Overview of the Conservation Status of Cartilaginous Fishes (Chondrichtyans) in the Mediterranean Sea. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Malaga, Spain. vi + 42 pp.
