Nearly two-thirds of coral reef shark and ray species are endangered
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Nearly two-thirds of coral reef shark and ray species are endangered, with overfishing named as the biggest threat, a new study has found.
The study considered a species listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is under threat of extinction.
The researchers studied 134 species of sharks and rays. The findings point to the need for immediate action to conserve coral reefs.
This includes providing legal protection, better management and enforcement of fisheries regulations, and the creation of more marine protected areas.
As a result of climate change, coral reefs are among the most fragile ecosystems in the world.
In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, led by Dr. Samantha Sherman, said: “The decline has occurred in just half a century, with the largest decline before 2005. Immediate action is needed through local protection, coupled with broad-based fisheries management and marine protected areas, to avoid extinctions and the loss of critical ecosystem functions that doom reefs to the loss of shark and ray biodiversity.”
There are currently 150,388 animal species on the Red List worldwide, of which 42,108 are endangered.
This means that 28 percent of all species could disappear from the face of the Earth if action is not taken.
Dr. Sherman’s study also found that the risk of extinction of sharks and rays that live in and around coral reefs, as a percentage of threatened species, is nearly double that of all 1,199 known species of sharks and rays.
The fact that 59 percent of coral reef sharks and rays are endangered means they are the second most endangered group in the world.
They are second only to marine mammals such as dolphins and manatees.
Most species of sharks and rays (about 70 percent) have already declined.
In general, stingrays were more threatened than sharks, with only the blue striped-tailed stingray showing an increase in its population.
For larger species such as bull sharks and reef manta rays that live off the reef, the risk of extinction is higher.
Several reasons for the increased threat of extinction have been cited, including habitat loss and climate change. However, overfishing accounted for 75 percent of the sharks and rays studied.
In countries with lower attention to this industry, such as Brazil, Tanzania and Indonesia, the risk of extinction of sharks and rays is even higher.
A study by the University of Hawaii has shown that half of the Earth’s coral reefs will be irreversibly damaged by 2035 if climate change does not ease.
Christina DENISYUK.
A source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Photo: Colin Simpfendorfer
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