What is the goal of the Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) identification process?

What is the mission for Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs)?

WATCH: Handling guidelines for anglers when catching rays   Rays are highly sensitive to capture stress, so taking extra care when handling them can determine their post-capture survival.   Share this video with friends or fishing groups and communities 🎣

South Africa is home to an extraordinary number of endemic marine species - found nowhere else on Earth. Protecting our endemic sharks and rays means protecting our heritage. Read more here: web.facebook.com/share/p/1U4A... Pictured: Pyjama shark Image credits: Steve Benjamin | Animal Ocean

What is the purpose for identifying Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs)? Read more here: www.facebook.com/share/p/1AzM...

How are Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) identified? The identification of ISRAs is achieved through the application of scientifically based criteria. Read more here: web.facebook.com/share/p/1Ajv... We’ll be breaking ISRAs down next based on their Purpose; Vision; Mission; and Goal.

Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) vs Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Although equally as important, ISRAs are not MPAs, as no associated management measures are integrated in their identification. Read more here: web.facebook.com/share/p/1HkL...

Healthy oceans start with healthy predators. In South Africa, species like the white shark and ragged-tooth shark play a critical role in keeping marine ecosystems balanced. Read more here: www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZuH... Pictured: White shark Image credit: Cassandra Scott / Ocean Image Bank

Why are ISRAs important? The world is heading towards the 30x30 target (protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030) and these ISRAs help to pinpoint key areas for decision-makers to prioritise for the future of sharks and rays.  Read more here: sharkrayareas.org/about-isras/

UPDATE: Debate is intensifying over a proposal to install shark nets at a public beach in Tinley Manor ahead of the opening of a new Club Med resort on South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal coast. Read more here: news.mongabay.com/2026/03/prop...

What is an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA)? We’ll be going into more detail on how ISRAs are identified in later posts. Find out more about ISRAs here: sharkrayareas.org/about-isras/

Sharks and rays are the architects of ocean balance. Protective sharks in South Africa is about safeguarding the resilience and productivity of our oceans. Read more here: www.facebook.com/share/p/18QG... Image credit: Cassandra Scott / Ocean Image Bank

NEWS: In Florida, scientists develop cheap way to keep sharks off fishing hooks Read more here: news.mongabay.com/2026/02/its-... Pictured: Blue shark, which are particularly susceptible to being caught by longliner fishing vessels. Image credit: Ron Watkins | Ocean Image Bank

NEWS: The Save Our Seas Foundation Angola Elasmo Project is revealing surprising ways fishing and conservation can compliment each other at fishing landing sites along Angola's coastline. Read more here: saveourseas.com/update/conse... Photo Credit: Ana Lúcia Furtado Soares | Angola Elasmo Project

Warren’s sixgill sawshark is a small, bottom-dwelling shark found along the east and south coasts of South Africa, from shallow waters at 10 m down to 430 m (and occasionally as deep as 915 m). It is believed to be a southern African endemic.  Read more here: www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dmg...

A juvenile Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) was found dead at Alkantstrand, Richards Bay on Saturday morning, entangled in shark nets. Read more here: web.facebook.com/share/v/1Lqz... Video credit: Abie Seedie

Sharks and rays are facing one of the fastest extinction crises of any vertebrate group on Earth, and Panama is leading the way for ocean conservation. Pictured: Blue spotted ribbontail ray, Sodwana Bay - iSimangaliso Wetland Park Image credit: Marc Thoresson Read more: time.com/7362449/shar...

Happy Valentine's Day from the Sharks Under Attack team 💙 We love all our sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras (ghost sharks), even if we're biased. We hope you love them too! Share these cards with someone you think is fin-tastic 🦈

STUDY: Critical shark and ray habitats (ISRAs) in Western Indian Ocean largely unprotected Read more here: news.mongabay.com/.../critical... Full paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... Image credit: Vincent Kneefel / Ocean Image Bank

The striped catshark, affectionately known as the pyjama shark, is endemic to the coastal waters of South Africa. While classified by the IUCN as 'Least Concern', the striped catshark is still on the TOPS List as Protected. Read more here: web.facebook.com/share/p/1GGR...

NEWS: Shark nets at R2bn Club Med development in KZN may threaten endangered species Read more here: www.news24.com/.../scientis... Image credit: Steve Benjamin / Animal Ocean

The leopard catshark and striped catshark are two species of the genus Poroderma. These small, bottom-dwelling sharks are found only along South Africa’s coast, where they live on rocky reefs and among kelp beds. Read more here: www.facebook.com/share/p/1KTG...

The tiger shark is a large, wide-ranging apex predator found in tropical coastal waters around the world. As top predators, tiger sharks play an important role in shaping marine ecosystems. Read more about the tiger shark here: web.facebook.com/share/p/1Xk1...

The giant guitarfish is a large wedgefish found in shallow coastal waters of the southwest Indian Ocean and is the only species of its kind found in South Africa. Its numbers have declined sharply over the past 40 years, particularly in Mozambique. Red more here: web.facebook.com/share/p/189A...

NEWS: New Research Highlights Glaring Gaps in Marine Protection for Sharks & Rays in the Western Indian Ocean To access the full study, visit onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... Images by Leigh de Necker & Devin Trull

A “lab-in-a-backpack” is helping stop illegal shark fin trade. Diego Cardeñosa’s fast, affordable test identifies protected fins, aiding inspections worldwide and securing CITES protection for dozens of species. Read more: news.mongabay.com/2025/12/the-...

The flapnose houndshark is found only along South Africa’s east coast. With a limited range and slow reproduction, it’s highly vulnerable - and its population is believed to be declining. Read more: www.facebook.com/share/p/1BbF...

NEWS: Raja Ampat’s ReShark project is leading the world’s first rewilding of an Endangered shark. Once wiped out by the fin trade, leopard sharks are now being restored through a global 20-country effort. More: reasonstobecheerful.world/worlds-first-rewilded-sharks-thrive-reshark/

White sharks are key apex predators along South Africa’s coast, but despite long-standing protection, they still face threats from the KZN bather protection programme, angling, longlines and illegal nets. Their slow maturity and cross-border movements make them especially vulnerable.

The Great Hammerhead Shark TOPS: Endangered | IUCN: Critically Endangered Rare in SA and mostly seen in KZN, this species is highly vulnerable to fishing and has very low survival after capture. With limited protection from MPAs and signs of decline, its loss threatens marine ecosystem balance.

Ornate Sleeper Ray Endemic | TOPS: Critically Endangered | IUCN: Least Concern Found only along South Africa’s east coast, this demersal species is vulnerable due to its limited range. Learn more: www.facebook.com/share/p/1Jzs...

Once common along KZN’s coast, sawfish like the Largetooth and Green Sawfish have vanished from our waters. But on 19 Sept 2025, a sawfish - believed to be a Largetooth - was discovered off the Eastern Cape coast. The last confirmed sighting? 26 years ago. READ: www.facebook.com/share/p/1GhB...

PUBLIC NOTICE: KwaDukuza Municipality plans to install a 200m shark nets and 4 drumlines at Tinley Manor Beach. Lethal methods like nets and drumlines kill sharks and other marine life, threatening biodiversity. The DFFE is accepting public comments for 30 days. www.facebook.com/share/v/19vf...

South Africa’s sharks and rays face growing threats from overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change. The TOPS list helps protect them by classifying species by extinction risk and regulating how they’re used. Learn more via our FB page: www.facebook.com/share/p/1ASw...

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Rare thresher sharks spotted off Negros Occidental, Philippines. Seen on 25 October at Sipaway Island MPA, these globally rare sharks (Alopias spp.) are protected under Philippine law. Read more about this rare encounter here: newsinfo.inquirer.net/2130221/grou...

NEWS: The Maldives has announced it will allow gulper shark fishing from November 2025. Gulper sharks are endangered, slow to recover and vital to ocean health. Their loss could destabilise marine ecosystems crucial to Maldivian fisheries and food security. Learn more: only.one/act/save-the...

PUBLIC NOTICE: KwaDukuza Municipality has applied to install shark nets and drumlines at Tinley Manor Beach on KZN’s North Coast. These lethal measures pose risks to sharks, dolphins, and turtles - prompting calls for ethical, non-lethal alternatives. Read More: fb.watch/CUkS6XBERS/

This week we celebrate National Marine Week! SA’s coastline hosts around 200 species of sharks and rays, many under threat from overfishing and habitat loss. Marine Protected Areas provide safe havens for these species to recover, breed, and thrive.

BREAKING NEWS: Species thought to be locally extinct in South Africa found on Eastern Cape beach. On 19 Sept, marine history was made: a sawfish, thought locally extinct in SA, washed up near the Birah River Mouth, EC. READ MORE: web.facebook.com/share/p/172H... 📷: Kevin Cole & Mike Vincent

NEWS: Recent studies have found that much of the shark meat sold in the United States comes from endangered species. Research shows the majority of shark products are mislabeled or so vaguely described that buyers have no idea what they are eating. READ MORE: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

CHIMAERAS 👻🦈 Chimaeras, or “ghost sharks,” are close shark relatives. Unlike sharks, their jaws are fused to their skull, and as they mature, they lose their denticles - leaving their skin smooth and rubbery.

RAYS & SKATES: With flattened bodies, eyes positioned on top, and mouths and gills underneath, they’re built to glide effortlessly along the seabed. The difference? Rays have longer tails and give birth to live young, while skates lay eggs.

Sharks have been in our oceans for 400+ million years, yet many of their traits remain unknown. They’re defined by 5–7 gill slits and pectorals not fused to the head - key features that make a shark, a shark.

KZN: Heading down to the beachfront this week? Don't forget to pop past our latest exhibit at Ushaka Marine World. It’s an eye-opening journey into the challenges sharks face and why their survival is so important for our oceans.

NEWS: Learn how cutting-edge AI is transforming shark conservation by turning everyday online photos into real-time data that helps track threatened species and safeguard their future. Read the full article: www.tomorrowsworldtoday.com/nature/ai-ad...

🦈 Sharks Under Threat 🦈 PRISTIOPHORIFORMES The saw sharks, which are known for their long, pointed snouts lined with sharp teeth, resembling a saw. Species under threat: Lana's sawshark - IUCN Red List Status: NEAR THREATENED Continued monitoring & research are essential to ensure their protection.

NEWS: ReShark is a world-first shark rewilding initiative aiming to bring the Indo‑Pacific leopard shark (also known as the zebra shark) back to reefs where it had vanished. Read full article: news.mongabay.com/2025/08/can-...

🦈 Sharks Under Threat 🦈 ORECTOLOBIFORMES Commonly known as the carpet sharks,so named because they feed on the seabed. Many carpet sharks are at risk due to habitat loss and overfishing - particularly as bycatch. IMAGE: Zebra shark - IUCN Red List Status: ENDANGERED Credit: David Robinson

After 15 years of dedicated research, scientists have confirmed a third species of manta ray, Mobula yarae (the Atlantic manta ray) - joining the reef manta (Mobula alfredi) & the giant oceanic manta (Mobula birostris). Read article via Oceanographic: oceanographicmagazine.com/news/scienti...

🦈 Sharks Under Threat 🦈 LAMNIFORMES - These are the mackerel sharks, which include some of the most well-known shark species. Slow growth, late maturity & low reproductive rates make them vulnerable to global fishing pressures & exploitation. Image: Basking shark - IUCN RED List Status -ENDANGERED