Important Shark and Ray Areas

[1] This project is led by the Shark Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission.

The main objective of ISRA is to attract the attention of politicians and decision-makers to the need to maintain a favourable conservation status of sharks in those specific areas, through the implementation of appropriate management measures, which could include the designation of a marine protected area or other area-based management measures.

[5] There are four criteria for a marine habitat to be considered an ISRA, which are related to its vulnerability, its three-dimensional geographic distribution, its life history, and special attributes of the species.

[6] Once the ISRA zones are approved and declared, they are incorporated into an electronic map on the project page.

ISRAs are identified through an expert-led process planned over a series of 13 regional workshops covering global waters.

The criteria are designed to cover important aspects of shark biology (e.g., age, growth and reproduction), ecology and population structure, and include multiple aspects of species vulnerability, distribution and movement patterns, abundances, specific habitat requirements and key life-cycle activities, as well as areas of high diversity and endemism.

[17] Over the past century, fishing has had a significant and cumulative impact on chondrichthyans and this threat has been exacerbated by habitat loss and climate change.