Ecological erosion and expanding extinction risk of sharks and rays

2024/12/05 by Nicholas K. Dulvy, Nathan Pacoureau, Jay H. Matsushiba +14 · 2 voices · 74 citations
Environmental Science · #Biodiversity #Biology #Ecology #Environmental science #Extinction (optical mineralogy) #Fish Ecology and Management Studies #Fishery #Fishing #Geography #Habitat #Habitat destruction #IUCN Red List #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Marine and fisheries research #Overfishing #Population #Threatened species

paper · open access · doi:10.1126/science.adn1477

published in Science 386(6726), eadn1477 (American Association for the Advancement of Science)

openalex publication_date 2024/12/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

The true state of ocean biodiversity is difficult to assess, and there are few global indicators to track the primary threat of overfishing. We calculated a 50-year Red List Index of extinction risk and ecological function for 1199 sharks and rays and found that since 1970, overfishing has halved their populations and their Red List Index has worsened by 19%. Overfishing the largest species in nearshore and pelagic habitats risks loss of ecomorphotypes and a 5 to 22% erosion of functional diversity. Extinction risk is higher in countries with large human coastal populations but lower in nations with stronger governance, larger economies, and greater beneficial fisheries subsidies. Restricting fishing (including incidental catch) and trade to sustainable levels combined with prohibiting retention of highly threatened species can avert further depletion, widespread loss of population connectivity, and top-down predator control.

Citations

• NEW MULTIDIMENSIONAL FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY INDICES FOR A MULTIFACETED FRAMEWORK IN FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
• Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas

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• Global Patterns and Drivers of Climate Vulnerability in Sharks and Rays: A Reassessment Using the IRACC Framework
• Assessing the Vulnerability and the Stock Status of the Bluntnose Sixgill Shark, Hexanchus griseus , in North‐Eastern Tunisia (Central Mediterranean) Using Data‐Limited Models
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• Rapid DNA / eDNA ‐Based ID Tools for Improved Chondrichthyan Monitoring and Management
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• Pelagic productivity and abundance of competitors modulate trophic niche segregation between large predators
• Rapid DNA/eDNA-Based ID Tools for Improved Chondrichthyan Monitoring and Management. [europepmc]
• Unveiling the biochemical and haematological profile of blue shark ( Prionace glauca ) in the Mediterranean after bycatch. [europepmc]
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• Pelagic productivity and abundance of competitors modulate trophic niche segregation between large predators. [europepmc]
• Animal tracking with particle algorithms informs protected area design. [europepmc]
• Only One Percent of Important Shark and Ray Areas in the Western Indian Ocean Are Fully Protected From Fishing Pressure. [europepmc]
• Hematology and blood pH reference intervals for wild Spiny Butterfly Rays (Gymnura altavela) in the Canary Islands. [europepmc]
• Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Squalus cf. mitsukurii (Chondrichthyes: Squalidae) Revealed by ddRAD Sequencing. [europepmc]
• Reassessment of the possible size, form, weight, cruising speed, and growth parameters of the extinct megatooth shark, Otodus megalodon (Lamniformes: Otodontidae), and new evolutionary insights into its gigantism, life history strategies, ecology, and extinction. [europepmc]

Discussions

• If you read the report 56.5% of only 23 selected highly migratory stocks (10 spp) were sustainable. But there are ~1300 species. More than a third are threatened on the Red List and populations contin [bsky, 5 points, 2 comments]
• (1) Publicação do estudo: Dulvy et al. (2024). Ecological erosion and expanding extinction risk of sharks and rays. Science, Vol. 386, No. 6726. doi.org/10.1126/scie... Referência adicional: www.sf [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]

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