Threatened shark species ‘out of sight out of mind’: first complete national assessment of Australia’s sharks and rays

September 21, 2021

Australia is a refuge for globally threatened sharks and rays, but urgent action is needed to secure 39 Australian species that face an elevated risk of extinction.

The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021: poster

The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021: poster
Abstract:

This A3 poster presents a visual summary of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Categories applied to Australia's 328 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras by The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021. The assessments show that sharks and their relatives are faring better in Australia than in the rest of the world, with a relatively low level of threatened species. People who manage and conserve sharks can see which species most urgently need attention, and have a benchmark for measuring future changes in their status.

Related information

Document type: 
Poster
Thumbnail: 

The Action Plan For Australian Sharks and Rays 2021: QA fact sheet

The Action Plan For Australian Sharks and Rays 2021: QA fact sheet
Abstract:

This four-page fact sheet accompanies The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021. It provides contextual background for the action plan by addressing these five questions:

  • What is the Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021?
  • Why do we need a shark action plan?
  • Why was the IUCN Framework used to assess the extinction risk of sharks?
  • How does the shark action plan deal with subpopulation structure?
  • What other plans and assessmens exist for sharks in Australia and how do they differ from the shark action plan?

Related information

Document type: 
Poster
Availability: 
Available
Thumbnail: 

An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa

An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa
Abstract:

An annotated checklist of chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, batoids, and chimaeras) occurring in South African waters is presented. The checklist is the result of decades of research and on-going systematic revisions of the regional fauna. The chondrichthyan fauna of South Africa is one of the richest in the world with 191 species, comprising 50 families and 103 genera. It consists of 30 families, 64 genera, and 111 species of sharks; 17 families, 36 genera, and 72 species of batoids; and, 3 families, 5 genera, and 8 species of chimaeras. The most species-rich shark families are the whaler sharks Carcharhinidae with 20 species followed by the deepwater catsharks Pentanchidae with 13 species. The most speciesrich batoid families are the hardnose stakes Rajidae with at least 21 species followed by the stingrays Dasyatidae with 13 species. This monograph represents the first detailed annotated checklist of chondrichthyans from South Africa in over 30 years.

Document type: 
Document
Availability: 
Available

The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021

The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021
Abstract:

The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021 is the first action plan for Australia’s chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras). This book presents a comprehensive and consistent review of the extinction risk of all 328 species occurring in Australian waters, including Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters. It provides a benchmark from which changes in population and extinction risk can be measured, and to help guide management for their conservation. This Action Plan also serves to raise the profile of the diversity and conservation needs of Australia’s sharks, rays, and chimaeras. The majority of the fauna is secure, although roughly one in eight species is threatened with extinction. The Action Plan presents specific actions required to address vast knowledge gaps, and outlines conservation objectives for each species. It will help the Commonwealth and the states and territories prioritise species for conservation listing, research, and management. This book is a call to action to secure all of Australia’s sharks, rays, and chimaeras.

Document type: 
Document
Availability: 
Available
Thumbnail: 
Subscribe to RSS - chimaeras