GLOBAL SHARKS AND RAY
INITIATIVE
Securing the Ocean's future through shark conservation
The Global Sharks and Ray Initiative is a collaboration between organizations working to conserve populations of sharks and rays from overfishing and other forms of non-sustainable consumption.
A Global Vision
Our goal is that by 2025, the conservation status of the world’s sharks and rays has improved – declines have been halted, extinctions have been prevented, and commitments to their conservation have increased globally.
420
million years old
24%
of all species threatened
CITES CoP18
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between 182 member states. It regulates international trade of over 35,000 specimens of wild animals and plants.
Species covered by CITES are listed in three appendices related to the degree of protection they need. Appendix I and II are those species which are threatened with extinction, and in which trade must be controlled in order to ensure their survival.
To be included in the CITES Appendices I and II, they must meet certain biological and trade criteria, with specific provisions for commercially-exploited aquatic species.
At CITES CoP18 (17-28 August 2019) proposals will be put forward to include a number of shark and ray species in Appendix II including Mako Sharks. Giant Guitarfishes and Wedgefishes
Fact sheets for each species proposed for Appendix II are available on the Publications page
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The GSRI aims to end this over-exploitation and build the foundation for a global transformation in the conservation outlook for these species. Four strategic areas of intervention have been identified to dramatically alter the current trajectory of shark and ray decline by 2025. A defining feature of the Global Strategy is that these coordinated, integrated strategies are designed to be taken forward through an established NGO partnership, working in collaboration with numerous other public and private sector actors.
Our Partners
