I just spent part of my morning summarising literature on the sandbar shark. Now i need a nap I was so bored. #yawnshark
The sandbar shark is so boring even the triangles it forms with its fins are obtuse. #YawnShark @whysharksmatter.bsky.social
New paper is out ๐!
We reconstructed the 145-myr diversity of sharks & rays using deep learning, unveiling hidden patterns:
- modern diversity levels by the Cretaceous ๐
- small decline in the K/Pg ๐ค
- a peak in the Eocene ๐
- a long-term decline towards the present ๏ฟฝ
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Oh to have lived 50 million years ago during peak elasmo diversity!
Great ๐งตon ๐ฆ trends by @nickdulvy.bsky.social ๐๐ผ
We donโt need new frameworks โ we need to connect and implement the ones we have.
Fisheries management, trade rules, compliance, and demand must align to reduce fishing mortality at scale.
Implementation is the bottleneck.
@hollieboothie.bsky.social
@sharkcolin.bsky.social
Decline is not inevitable.
Where fishing mortality has been reduced โ through catch limits, retention bans, or spatial protection โ shark and ray populations are stabilizing or recovering.
Recoveries documented for wide-ranging and restricted-range species @charlie-huveneers.bsky.social
Gaps in catch limits, compliance, and enforcement mean fishing mortality stays high even where policies exist.
Where management is complete, risk is lower and recovery is possible.
@hollieboothie.bsky.social
@sharkcolin.bsky.social
Read the paper here: rdcu.be/eZ9n9
Overfishing is compounded by under-management
Fishing mortality is the primary driver &
management completeness (for guitarfishes & requiem sharks) stands at ~49% globally.
@sammsherman27.bsky.social
@vanderwright.bsky.social
Read the paper here: rdcu.be/eZ9n9
Whatโs driving the decline?
The crisis isnโt just fishing โ itโs invisible fishing.
Much shark & ray catch is under-reported, aggregated, or mislabeled, masking real mortality & delaying management.
What we donโt measure, we donโt manage.
@cgmull.bsky.social
@nathanpacoureau.bsky.social
Sharks & rays are sentinels of ocean health.
- Global abundance has been fished down by 65%,
- Now 37.5% of species are threatened,
- The current extinction rate is 25โ250 times greater than the background fossil record, with greatest losses in tropical coastal seas. #BiodiversityTargets
New paper out today in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com by the #GlobalSharkTrends team: Bending back the curve of shark & ray biodiversity loss;
Read the paper here: rdcu.be/eZ9n9
@sfu.ca
@sfubiosciences.bsky.social
@earth2ocean.bsky.social
Totally!
Time for a rethink! Thank you science.
@iucnshark.bsky.social @nickdulvy.bsky.social @sharks-int.bsky.social
And to be fair, we had a hint about this from a previous paper, but it was for a single animal and so I, like many others, dismissed it as a one-off.
"The critically endangered bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma) in the open ocean with an associated tuna school"
dx.doi.org/10.1007/s125...
I always thought these animals lived close to the seafloor in coastal areas. But it turns out they occur they are observed in the open ocean a lot. This is totally mind blowing and makes me think that everything that we thought we knew about this species is just a tiny sliver of what we need to know
Sometimes you stumble on some #sharkscience that makes you think you don't really know anything about them at all. Yesterday i found this paper: "Observations of the bowmouth guitarfish by-catches by the tropical tuna purse seine fleet in the Indian Oceanโs open waters"
doi.org/10.1017/S002...
And more new #sharkscience, this time from Sushmita Mukherji "Assessing mechanisms of intrinsic vulnerability in sharks occupying different marine environments"
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@imas-utas.bsky.social @iucnshark.bsky.social
New #sharkscience #sharkconservation
"Bending back the curve of shark and ray biodiversity loss" in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com
go.nature.com/4jXOnaC
What will it take to reverse shark biodiversity loss? Find out in our new article out today.
@nickdulvy.bsky.social @iucnshark.bsky.social
๐ New vacancy in the fish tracking community ๐ข
Come join Dr. Jan Reubens and his team at the Flanders Marine Institute (@vliz.be) as a Fish Behavioral Ecology Researcher!
๐Read more about the position and apply here: www.vliz.be/en/jobs/vliz...
โDeadline 25 January, 2026
๐จ Job Alert! TT Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks! Looking for a candidate with a focus on coastal ecology. Come be my colleague! Please share.
careers.alaska.edu/jobs/assista...
The last proposal for sharks has just passed at #CITESCoP20. Gulper Sharks have been adopted into Appendix II of CITES.
This marks a major victory for sharks and rays as all proposals have been adopted!
#CITES #CoP20 #gulpershark #shark #ray #chimaera #biodiversity #conservation #trade #conference
The 2024โ25 IMOS Annual Highlights are now out, showcasing key achievements from across our program and community ๐
๐ bit.ly/3MkLMKQ
#NCRISImpact
We are hiring: #PhD fellow in Ecosystem-based management and marine connectivity๐๐งช๐ฐ๏ธ
Want to work with tracking data from migratory species to identify ecological corridors and help inform biodiversity conservation priorities?
Apply by Dec 7th!
@bioprotectproject.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/ytfmfhfc
A guide to: Sri Lankan Wildlife ๐
Sri Lanka is a global biodiversity hotspot, home to unique and endemic species, including around 140 mammals, 400 birds, and 170 reptiles.
๐ฆ SI2026
๐
Dates: 4-8 May
๐ Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
๐ si2026.org
It's live! Impacts of Deep-sea Mining on Migratory Species: Review and Knowledge Gaps.
In English, French, and Spanish. Annex I is the actual report.
www.cms.int/document/dee...
๐ฃ Announcement! Abstract Submission Deadline Extended to November 30, 2025
Being guilty of last minute submissions ourselves, we felt that a few more days would help those of you processing your abstract ideas!
๐ si2026.org
Seven JCU researchers have been named in the @clarivateag.bsky.social annual list of Highly Cited Researchers. Demonstrating significant and broad influence in their fields of research.
See the full list here: clarivate.com/highly-cited...
NEW #SharkLeague #ICCAT Factsheet outlines key steps needed to strengthen existing measures & close critical gaps - from enforcing the finning ban & rebuilding shortfin mako populations to protecting basking & white sharks, & ensuring sustainable blue ๐ฆ fisheries sharkleague.org/2025/11/10/i...
