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The Conservation Status of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras in the Mediterranean Sea
> Despite our rapidly improved understanding of their widespread overexploitation in the Mediterranean basin5,6, no effective chondrichthyan-focused management measures have been successfully implemented, nor enforced. Stock assessments are underway, however assessments are not management measures, but essential precursors to set catch limits for those more productive species that could be brought into sustainability. In 2010 and 2011 the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the regional � sheries management organisation for the Mediterranean Sea, adopted ad hoc measures to reduce the bycatch of pelagic sharks such as Thresher, Mako and Hammerhead sharks. In 2012, the GFCM banned � nning practices in the Mediterranean and Black seas and also prohibited the capture and sale of the sharks and rays species listed in Annex II of the Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD) Protocol of the Barcelona Convention. In 2010-2013 the GFCM carried out a three-year research programme to improve the knowledge and assess the status of elasmobranchs in the region, and it continues to work in close collaboration with the regional experts to contrast sharks and rays populations’ decline. However only a few of its Parties have taken concrete domestic action to implement these recommendations. Prohibitions on catch, such as required for the species listed on the Barcelona Convention, should be urgently implemented to avoid further declines and extinctions. The IUCN Shark Specialist Group and the Shark Trust are working together to ensure implementation of protections for all three species of Angel Shark.
INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE
IUCN Centre for Mediterranean CooperationMarie Curie, 22. 29590 - Campanillas (Málaga) Spainiucnmed@ iucn.org | Tel +34 95 202 84 30 | Fax +34 95 202 81 45www.iucn.org/mediterranean
Core support to the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation is provided by:
REFERENCES
1. Dulvy, N.K. et al. 2014. Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks and rays. eLife 3: e00590.
2. Cavanagh, R.D. and Gibson, C. 2007. Overview of the Conservation Status of Cartilaginous Fishes (Chondrichthyans) in the Mediterranean Sea. IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland and Malaga, Spain.
3. Camhi, M.D., Fowler, S.L., Musick, J.A., Bräutigam, A. and Fordham, S.V. 1998. Sharks and their relatives: ecology and conservation. IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
4. Notarbartolo-Di-Sciara, G. 2014. Sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, in the Mediterranean Sea: a summary of status, threats, and conservation recommendations. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 24: 4-10.
5. Vasilakopoulos, P., Maravelias, C.D. and Tserpes, G. 2014. The Alarming Decline of Mediterranean Fish Stocks. Current Biology 24(14): 1643-1648.
6. Osio, G.C., Orio, A. and Millar, C.P. 2015. Assessing the vulnerability of Mediterranean demersal stocks and predicting exploitation status of un-assessed stocks. Fisheries Research 171: 110-121.
CITATION: Dulvy, N.K., Allen, D.J., Ralph, G.M. and Walls, R.H.L. (2016). The conservation status of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras in the Mediterranean Sea [Brochure]. IUCN, Malaga, Spain.
AUTHORS
Nicholas K. Dulvy, IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
David J. Allen, IUCN Global Species Programme, The David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Gina M. Ralph, IUCN Global Species Programme, Marine Biodiversity Unit, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, United States.
Rachel H.L. Walls, IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
©2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature
Sandbar Shark, Carcharhius plumbeus © Tahsin Ceylan
MEDITERRANEAN SHARKS AND RAYS FACE AN EXTINCTION CRISIS
At least 53% of the sharks, rays and chimaeras native to the Mediterranean Sea are at risk of extinction and require urgent action to conserve their populations and habitats.
This publication summarizes the outcomes of a signi� cant collaboration between the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, the IUCN Global Species Programme and the IUCN Shark Specialist Group who, together with experts from across the Mediterranean region, have worked to bring together available information on the species of Chondrichthyans found in the Mediterranean Sea and produce assessments for the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM.
This assessment was undertaken through the Mediterranean Red List Initiative, which is coordinated by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation.
Bullray, Pteromylaeus bovinus © La Ciutat De Les Arts I Les Ciències, Valencia
Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias © Peter Verhoog / Dutch Shark Society
Rough Skate,Raja radula © Tahsin Ceylan
An analysis of threat levels across all sharks, rays and chimaeras has revealed the Mediterranean Sea as a key hotspot of extinction risk1. Seventy seven species are recorded from the Mediterranean Sea, however of these, four species are considered to be either vagrant or probably vagrant, or Lessepsian immigrants from the Red Sea; they are the Spinner Shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna), the Reticulate Whipray (Himantura uarnak), the Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) and the Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini). These four species have been excluded as Not Applicable for the Mediterranean region. Three species are endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and found nowhere else – Maltese Skate (Leucoraja melitensis; CR), Rough Skate (Raja radula; EN), and the Speckled Skate (Raja polystigma; LC). More than half of the species assessed, 39 of 73 species, are regionally threatened; 31 are most imperilled in the Critically Endangered (20 species) and Endangered (11) categories (Figure 1). On a global scale, of the 20 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras that have been assessed as Critically Endangered, seven have some part of their distribution in the Mediterranean Sea. Of the other 13 regionally CR species, the Mediterranean Sea part of their population is more threatened than the remainder of their global range.
The level of threat may be worse because uncertainty in species status remains moderately high in the Mediterranean Sea; of the 73 assessed species 13 remain Data Defi cient. Status uncertainty tends to be greatest along North African coasts, emphasizing the need for further research in this part of the Mediterranean region where species richness was also greatest (Figure 2). Although there are synoptic research surveys throughout the northern coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea, there are no population time-series available from North African waters. By assuming varying fractions of the Data Defi cient species are threatened, the overall level of threat ranges from 53% (if none of the DD species are threatened) to 71% if all DD species are threatened. Up to two-thirds of Chondrichthyans may be threatened, the mid-point estimate suggests 65% of extant species for which suffi cient data are available are threatened.
Furthermore, there is no sign of improvement in the status of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans more than a decade since they were fi rst assessed. We can track changes in status of Chondrichthyans by comparing these fi ndings to the fi rst Mediterranean Sea Red List assessment in 20072 to this most recent assessment in 2016. There were no genuine improvements in status for the 73, whereas the status of 11 species worsened by at least one Red List Category.
At least half of the rays (50%, 16 of 32 species) in the Mediterranean Sea face an elevated risk of extinction, as well as 56% of sharks (23 of 41), whereas the only chimaera species (Chimaera monstrosa) is considered Least Concern in these waters. Of a total 27 chondrichthyan Families occurring in the Mediterranean Sea, 74% (20 Families, 39 species) have at least one species listed as threatened, 52% (14 Families, 24 species) of which have all species listed as threatened. Examples of Families with all species threatened are the thresher sharks (Family Alopiidae), the Angel Sharks (Squatinidae), and the Guitarfi s hes (Rhinobatidae). Of the remaining 45% of species in the region, 13 are Data Defi c ient (one of which is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea), nine Near Threatened, and 12 Least Concern. When the Mediterranean Sea Chondrichthyans were fi r st assessed2 18 species were considered DD, only seven of which are still DD, representing signifi c ant knowledge improvement between assessments.
The principal driver of decline and local extinction is overfishing. Most species are taken as retained valuable bycatch in small-scale and large-scale trawland net multispecies fisheries (Figure 3). Oceanic pelagic sharks are taken as retained secondary bycatch in longline fisheries targeting swordfishes and tunas. More recently, there is concern over the escalating targeting of pelagic sharks as tunas and swordfishes are increasingly regulated. The status of several pelagic sharks has worsened, including: Basking Shark, White Shark, Blue Shark, and Smooth Hammerhead Sharks. Bycatch volumes and species composition are poorly documented and data arerarely incorporated into national and international (FAO) statistics, therefore numbers of sharks caught as bycatch can only be crudely estimated3. Despite being banned in 2002, illegal driftnetting is intense and widespread throughout the Mediterranean Sea, e.g. fleets from Algeria, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, among others, continue to fish illegally with pelagic driftnets4, and thus is likely to be an important and largely hidden source of mortality for sharks.
Historically, the diversity of chondrichthyans was greatest in the western Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the coastal waters of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, which harbour between 57 and 69 species (Figure 4). Diversity is slightly lower in the northwest Mediterranean countries of Spain (including the Balearic Islands), France, Italy, Albania, and Greece. Intermediate levels of diversity were found in the central Mediterranean countries of Libya, Malta, the Italian island of Sicily, and the coastal waters of the countries bordering the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.
More recently, there has been a significant decline in species richness throughout the Mediterranean Sea due to increasing threats and local extinctions. Historically,the number of threatened specieswas very high with as many as 33 to 38 threatened species found in 100 km2 cells in the coastal waters of the western and central Mediterranean Sea (Figure 5). Threat levels are also high throughout the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with as many as 8 to 18 threatened species per 100 km2. No country has fewer than 29 threatened species within its Exclusive Economic Zone.
This substantial change in species richness patterns over the past half-century is due to the local extinction of thirteen species from significant parts of the range (Figure 6). Geographically, local extinctions have been most prevalent in the NW Mediterranean waters of Spain, France, and Italy, and in the waters of the countries bordering the Adriatic Sea and northwest African countries. >
Chondrichthyan Crisis in the Mediterranean Sea
IUCN Red List Category Number of Species
Extinct (EX) 0
Regionally Extinct (RE) 0
Critically Endangered (CR) 20
Endangered (EN) 11
Vulnerable (VU) 8
Near Threatened (NT) 9
Least Concern (LC) 12
Data De�cient (DD) 13
Total number of species assessed 73
FIGURE 1Summary of the Red List status of Chondrycthyans in the Mediterranean Sea.
FIGURE 3The primary threats driving Chondrichthyans to extinction in the Mediterranean Sea.
All use
Incidental or accidental mortality(bycatch - large scale)
Incidental or accidental mortality(bycatch - subsistence/small scale)
Intentional mortality (human use- subsistence/small scale)
Intentional mortality(human use - large scale)
Tourism & recreation areas
Oil & gas drilling
Domestic & urban waste water
Proportion of threatened (CR, EN, VU) species impacted by the threat class Number of threatened (CR, EN, VU) species impacted by the threat class
0 20 40 60 80 100
BIOLOGICALRESOURCE USE
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIALDEVELOPMENT
ENERGY PRODUCTION & MINING
POLLUTION
THE PRINCIPAL DRIVER OF DECLINE AND LOCAL EXTINCTION IS OVERFISHING. Most species are taken as retained valuable bycatchin small-scale and large-scale trawland net multispecies fisheries
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 3.03.1 - 5.05.1 - 7.07.1 - 9.09.1 - 12.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 3.03.1 - 5.05.1 - 7.07.1 - 9.09.1 - 12.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 2Distribution of Data Deficient Chondrichthyanswithin the Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 12.012.1 - 29.029.1 - 46.046.1 - 57.057.1 - 69.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 12.012.1 - 29.029.1 - 46.046.1 - 57.057.1 - 69.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 4Historical species richness of Chondrichthyanswithin the Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 8.08.1 - 18.018.1 - 28.028.1 - 33.033.1 - 38.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 5Distribution of threatened (CR, EN, and VU) Chondrichthyans within the Mediterranean Sea. 30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 8.08.1 - 18.018.1 - 28.028.1 - 33.033.1 - 38.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1.0 - 2.02.1 - 4.44.1 - 6.06.1 - 9.09.1 - 13.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 6Extinct and Possibly Extinct species in the Mediterranean Sea, showing thatlocal extinctions have been most prevalent in the NW Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1.0 - 2.02.1 - 4.44.1 - 6.06.1 - 9.09.1 - 13.0
Species2per 100 km
Squatinaoculata© Marc Dando /Shark Trust
* This table does not include the four vagrant or Lessepsian migrant species that have been considered Not Applicable (NA) for the Mediterranean region
Squatina squatina © Marc Dando / Shark Trust
There is NO SIGN OF IMPROVEMENT in the status of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans more than a decade since they were fi rst assessed
Angular Rough Shark, Oxynotus centrina© Tahsin Ceylan
Spiny Butterfly Ray,Gymnura altavela© Tahsin Ceylan
An analysis of threat levels across all sharks, rays and chimaeras has revealed the Mediterranean Sea as a key hotspot of extinction risk1. Seventy seven species are recorded from the Mediterranean Sea, however of these, four species are considered to be either vagrant or probably vagrant, or Lessepsian immigrants from the Red Sea; they are the Spinner Shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna), the Reticulate Whipray (Himantura uarnak), the Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) and the Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini). These four species have been excluded as Not Applicable for the Mediterranean region. Three species are endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and found nowhere else – Maltese Skate (Leucoraja melitensis; CR), Rough Skate (Raja radula; EN), and the Speckled Skate (Raja polystigma; LC). More than half of the species assessed, 39 of 73 species, are regionally threatened; 31 are most imperilled in the Critically Endangered (20 species) and Endangered (11) categories (Figure 1). On a global scale, of the 20 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras that have been assessed as Critically Endangered, seven have some part of their distribution in the Mediterranean Sea. Of the other 13 regionally CR species, the Mediterranean Sea part of their population is more threatened than the remainder of their global range.
The level of threat may be worse because uncertainty in species status remains moderately high in the Mediterranean Sea; of the 73 assessed species 13 remain Data Defi cient. Status uncertainty tends to be greatest along North African coasts, emphasizing the need for further research in this part of the Mediterranean region where species richness was also greatest (Figure 2). Although there are synoptic research surveys throughout the northern coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea, there are no population time-series available from North African waters. By assuming varying fractions of the Data Defi cient species are threatened, the overall level of threat ranges from 53% (if none of the DD species are threatened) to 71% if all DD species are threatened. Up to two-thirds of Chondrichthyans may be threatened, the mid-point estimate suggests 65% of extant species for which suffi cient data are available are threatened.
Furthermore, there is no sign of improvement in the status of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans more than a decade since they were fi rst assessed. We can track changes in status of Chondrichthyans by comparing these fi ndings to the fi rst Mediterranean Sea Red List assessment in 20072 to this most recent assessment in 2016. There were no genuine improvements in status for the 73, whereas the status of 11 species worsened by at least one Red List Category.
At least half of the rays (50%, 16 of 32 species) in the Mediterranean Sea face an elevated risk of extinction, as well as 54% of sharks (22 of 41), whereas the only chimaera species (Chimaera monstrosa) is considered Least Concern in these waters. Of a total 27 chondrichthyan Families occurring in the Mediterranean Sea, 74% (20 Families, 39 species) have at least one species listed as threatened, 52% (14 Families, 24 species) of which have all species listed as threatened. Examples of Families with all species threatened are the thresher sharks (Family Alopiidae), the Angel Sharks (Squatinidae), and the Guitarfi shes (Rhinobatidae). Of the remaining 45% of species in the region, 13 are Data Defi cient (one of which is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea), nine Near Threatened, and 12 Least Concern. When the Mediterranean Sea Chondrichthyans were fi rst assessed2 18 species were considered DD, only seven of which are still DD, representing signifi cant knowledge improvement between assessments.
The principal driver of decline and local extinction is overfi shing. Most species are taken as retained valuable bycatch in small-scale and large-scale trawl and net multispecies fi sheries (Figure 3). Oceanic pelagic sharks are taken as retained secondary bycatch in longline fi sheries targeting swordfi shes and tunas. More recently, there is concern over the escalating targeting of pelagic sharks as tunas and swordfi shes are increasingly regulated. The status of several pelagic sharks has worsened, including: Basking Shark, White Shark, Blue Shark, and Smooth Hammerhead Sharks. Bycatch volumes and species composition are poorly documented and data are rarely incorporated into national and international (FAO) statistics, therefore numbers of sharks caught as bycatch can only be crudely estimated3. Despite being banned in 2002, illegal driftnetting is intense and widespread throughout the Mediterranean Sea, e.g. fl eets from Algeria, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, among others, continue to fi sh illegally with pelagic driftnets4, and thus is likely to be an important and largely hidden source of mortality for sharks.
Historically, the diversity of chondrichthyans was greatest in the western Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the coastal waters of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, which harbour between 57 and 69 species (Figure 4). Diversity is slightly lower in the northwest Mediterranean countries of Spain (including the Balearic Islands), France, Italy, Albania, and Greece. Intermediate levels of diversity were found in the central Mediterranean countries of Libya, Malta, the Italian island of Sicily, and the coastal waters of the countries bordering the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.
More recently, there has been a signifi cant decline in species richness throughout the Mediterranean Sea due to increasing threats and local extinctions. Historically, the number of threatened species was very high with as many as 33 to 38 threatened species found in 100 km2 cells in the coastal waters of the western and central Mediterranean Sea (Figure 5). Threat levels are also high throughout the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with as many as 8 to 18 threatened species per 100 km2. No country has fewer than 29 threatened species within its Exclusive Economic Zone.
This substantial change in species richness patterns over the past half-century is due to the local extinction of thirteen species from signifi cant parts of the range (Figure 6). Geographically, local extinctions have been most prevalent in the NW Mediterranean waters of Spain, France, and Italy, and in the waters of the countries bordering the Adriatic Sea and northwest African countries. >
Chondrichthyan Crisis in the Mediterranean Sea
IUCN Red List Category Number of Species
Extinct (EX) 0
Regionally Extinct (RE) 0
Critically Endangered (CR) 20
Endangered (EN) 11
Vulnerable (VU) 8
Near Threatened (NT) 9
Least Concern (LC) 12
Data De� cient (DD) 13
Total number of species assessed 73
FIGURE 1Summary of the Red List status of Chondrycthyans in the Mediterranean Sea.
FIGURE 3The primary threats driving Chondrichthyans to extinction in the Mediterranean Sea.
All use
Incidental or accidental mortality (bycatch - large scale)
Incidental or accidental mortality (bycatch - subsistence/small scale)
Intentional mortality (human use - subsistence/small scale)
Intentional mortality (human use - large scale)
Tourism & recreation areas
Oil & gas drilling
Domestic & urban waste water
Proportion of threatened (CR, EN, VU) species impacted by the threat class Number of threatened (CR, EN, VU) species impacted by the threat class
0 20 40 60 80 100
BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE USE
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY PRODUCTION & MINING
POLLUTION
THE PRINCIPAL DRIVER OF DECLINE AND LOCAL EXTINCTION IS OVERFISHING. Most species are taken as retained valuable bycatch in small-scale and large-scale trawl and net multispecies fi sheries
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 3.03.1 - 5.05.1 - 7.07.1 - 9.09.1 - 12.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 3.03.1 - 5.05.1 - 7.07.1 - 9.09.1 - 12.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 2Distribution of Data Defi cient Chondrichthyans within the Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 12.012.1 - 29.029.1 - 46.046.1 - 57.057.1 - 69.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 12.012.1 - 29.029.1 - 46.046.1 - 57.057.1 - 69.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 4Historical species richness of Chondrichthyans within the Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 8.08.1 - 18.018.1 - 28.028.1 - 33.033.1 - 38.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 5Distribution of threatened (CR, EN, and VU) Chondrichthyans within the Mediterranean Sea. 30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 8.08.1 - 18.018.1 - 28.028.1 - 33.033.1 - 38.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1.0 - 2.02.1 - 4.44.1 - 6.06.1 - 9.09.1 - 13.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 6Extinct and Possibly Extinct species in the Mediterranean Sea, showing that local extinctions have been most prevalent in the NW Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1.0 - 2.02.1 - 4.44.1 - 6.06.1 - 9.09.1 - 13.0
Species2per 100 km
Squatina oculata © Marc Dando /Shark Trust
* This table does not include the four vagrant or Lessepsian migrant species that have been considered Not Applicable (NA) for the Mediterranean region
Squatina squatina © Marc Dando / Shark Trust
There is NO SIGN OF IMPROVEMENT in the status of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans more than a decade since they were fi rst assessed
Angular Rough Shark, Oxynotus centrina© Tahsin Ceylan
Spiny Butterfl y Ray, Gymnura altavela © Tahsin Ceylan
An analysis of threat levels across all sharks, rays and chimaeras has revealed the Mediterranean Sea as a key hotspot of extinction risk1. Seventy seven species are recorded from the Mediterranean Sea, however of these, four species are considered to be either vagrant or probably vagrant, or Lessepsian immigrants from the Red Sea; they are the Spinner Shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna), the Reticulate Whipray (Himantura uarnak), the Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) and the Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini). These four species have been excluded as Not Applicable for the Mediterranean region. Three species are endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and found nowhere else – Maltese Skate (Leucoraja melitensis; CR), Rough Skate (Raja radula; EN), and the Speckled Skate (Raja polystigma; LC). More than half of the species assessed, 39 of 73 species, are regionally threatened; 31 are most imperilled in the Critically Endangered (20 species) and Endangered (11) categories (Figure 1). On a global scale, of the 20 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras that have been assessed as Critically Endangered, seven have some part of their distribution in the Mediterranean Sea. Of the other 13 regionally CR species, the Mediterranean Sea part of their population is more threatened than the remainder of their global range.
The level of threat may be worse because uncertainty in species status remains moderately high in the Mediterranean Sea; of the 73 assessed species 13 remain Data Defi cient. Status uncertainty tends to be greatest along North African coasts, emphasizing the need for further research in this part of the Mediterranean region where species richness was also greatest (Figure 2). Although there are synoptic research surveys throughout the northern coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea, there are no population time-series available from North African waters. By assuming varying fractions of the Data Defi cient species are threatened, the overall level of threat ranges from 53% (if none of the DD species are threatened) to 71% if all DD species are threatened. Up to two-thirds of Chondrichthyans may be threatened, the mid-point estimate suggests 65% of extant species for which suffi cient data are available are threatened.
Furthermore, there is no sign of improvement in the status of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans more than a decade since they were fi rst assessed. We can track changes in status of Chondrichthyans by comparing these fi ndings to the fi rst Mediterranean Sea Red List assessment in 20072 to this most recent assessment in 2016. There were no genuine improvements in status for the 73, whereas the status of 11 species worsened by at least one Red List Category.
At least half of the rays (50%, 16 of 32 species) in the Mediterranean Sea face an elevated risk of extinction, as well as 54% of sharks (22 of 41), whereas the only chimaera species (Chimaera monstrosa) is considered Least Concern in these waters. Of a total 27 chondrichthyan Families occurring in the Mediterranean Sea, 74% (20 Families, 39 species) have at least one species listed as threatened, 52% (14 Families, 24 species) of which have all species listed as threatened. Examples of Families with all species threatened are the thresher sharks (Family Alopiidae), the Angel Sharks (Squatinidae), and the Guitarfi shes (Rhinobatidae). Of the remaining 45% of species in the region, 13 are Data Defi cient (one of which is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea), nine Near Threatened, and 12 Least Concern. When the Mediterranean Sea Chondrichthyans were fi rst assessed2 18 species were considered DD, only seven of which are still DD, representing signifi cant knowledge improvement between assessments.
The principal driver of decline and local extinction is overfi shing. Most species are taken as retained valuable bycatch in small-scale and large-scale trawl and net multispecies fi sheries (Figure 3). Oceanic pelagic sharks are taken as retained secondary bycatch in longline fi sheries targeting swordfi shes and tunas. More recently, there is concern over the escalating targeting of pelagic sharks as tunas and swordfi shes are increasingly regulated. The status of several pelagic sharks has worsened, including: Basking Shark, White Shark, Blue Shark, and Smooth Hammerhead Sharks. Bycatch volumes and species composition are poorly documented and data are rarely incorporated into national and international (FAO) statistics, therefore numbers of sharks caught as bycatch can only be crudely estimated3. Despite being banned in 2002, illegal driftnetting is intense and widespread throughout the Mediterranean Sea, e.g. fl eets from Algeria, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, among others, continue to fi sh illegally with pelagic driftnets4, and thus is likely to be an important and largely hidden source of mortality for sharks.
Historically, the diversity of chondrichthyans was greatest in the western Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the coastal waters of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, which harbour between 57 and 69 species (Figure 4). Diversity is slightly lower in the northwest Mediterranean countries of Spain (including the Balearic Islands), France, Italy, Albania, and Greece. Intermediate levels of diversity were found in the central Mediterranean countries of Libya, Malta, the Italian island of Sicily, and the coastal waters of the countries bordering the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.
More recently, there has been a signifi cant decline in species richness throughout the Mediterranean Sea due to increasing threats and local extinctions. Historically, the number of threatened species was very high with as many as 33 to 38 threatened species found in 100 km2 cells in the coastal waters of the western and central Mediterranean Sea (Figure 5). Threat levels are also high throughout the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with as many as 8 to 18 threatened species per 100 km2. No country has fewer than 29 threatened species within its Exclusive Economic Zone.
This substantial change in species richness patterns over the past half-century is due to the local extinction of thirteen species from signifi cant parts of the range (Figure 6). Geographically, local extinctions have been most prevalent in the NW Mediterranean waters of Spain, France, and Italy, and in the waters of the countries bordering the Adriatic Sea and northwest African countries. >
Chondrichthyan Crisis in the Mediterranean Sea
IUCN Red List Category Number of Species
Extinct (EX) 0
Regionally Extinct (RE) 0
Critically Endangered (CR) 20
Endangered (EN) 11
Vulnerable (VU) 8
Near Threatened (NT) 9
Least Concern (LC) 12
Data De� cient (DD) 13
Total number of species assessed 73
FIGURE 1Summary of the Red List status of Chondrycthyans in the Mediterranean Sea.
FIGURE 3The primary threats driving Chondrichthyans to extinction in the Mediterranean Sea.
All use
Incidental or accidental mortality (bycatch - large scale)
Incidental or accidental mortality (bycatch - subsistence/small scale)
Intentional mortality (human use - subsistence/small scale)
Intentional mortality (human use - large scale)
Tourism & recreation areas
Oil & gas drilling
Domestic & urban waste water
Proportion of threatened (CR, EN, VU) species impacted by the threat class Number of threatened (CR, EN, VU) species impacted by the threat class
0 20 40 60 80 100
BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE USE
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY PRODUCTION & MINING
POLLUTION
THE PRINCIPAL DRIVER OF DECLINE AND LOCAL EXTINCTION IS OVERFISHING. Most species are taken as retained valuable bycatch in small-scale and large-scale trawl and net multispecies fi sheries
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 3.03.1 - 5.05.1 - 7.07.1 - 9.09.1 - 12.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 3.03.1 - 5.05.1 - 7.07.1 - 9.09.1 - 12.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 2Distribution of Data Defi cient Chondrichthyans within the Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 12.012.1 - 29.029.1 - 46.046.1 - 57.057.1 - 69.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 12.012.1 - 29.029.1 - 46.046.1 - 57.057.1 - 69.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 4Historical species richness of Chondrichthyans within the Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 8.08.1 - 18.018.1 - 28.028.1 - 33.033.1 - 38.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 5Distribution of threatened (CR, EN, and VU) Chondrichthyans within the Mediterranean Sea. 30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1 - 8.08.1 - 18.018.1 - 28.028.1 - 33.033.1 - 38.0
Species2per 100 km
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1.0 - 2.02.1 - 4.44.1 - 6.06.1 - 9.09.1 - 13.0
Species2per 100 km
FIGURE 6Extinct and Possibly Extinct species in the Mediterranean Sea, showing that local extinctions have been most prevalent in the NW Mediterranean Sea.
30°E20°E10°E0°
45°N
40°N
35°N
30°N
25°N 0 500 1,000250 km
1.0 - 2.02.1 - 4.44.1 - 6.06.1 - 9.09.1 - 13.0
Species2per 100 km
Squatina oculata © Marc Dando /Shark Trust
* This table does not include the four vagrant or Lessepsian migrant species that have been considered Not Applicable (NA) for the Mediterranean region
Squatina squatina © Marc Dando / Shark Trust
There is NO SIGN OF IMPROVEMENT in the status of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans more than a decade since they were fi rst assessed
Angular Rough Shark, Oxynotus centrina© Tahsin Ceylan
Spiny Butterfl y Ray, Gymnura altavela © Tahsin Ceylan
The Conservation Status of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras in the Mediterranean Sea
> Despite our rapidly improved understanding of their widespread overexploitation in the Mediterranean basin5,6, no effective chondrichthyan-focused management measures have been successfully implemented, nor enforced. Stock assessments are underway, however assessments are not management measures, but essential precursors to set catch limits for those more productive species that could be brought into sustainability. In 2010 and 2011 the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the regional � sheries management organisation for the Mediterranean Sea, adopted ad hoc measures to reduce the bycatch of pelagic sharks such as Thresher, Mako and Hammerhead sharks. In 2012, the GFCM banned � nning practices in the Mediterranean and Black seas and also prohibited the capture and sale of the sharks and rays species listed in Annex II of the Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD) Protocol of the Barcelona Convention. In 2010-2013 the GFCM carried out a three-year research programme to improve the knowledge and assess the status of elasmobranchs in the region, and it continues to work in close collaboration with the regional experts to contrast sharks and rays populations’ decline. However only a few of its Parties have taken concrete domestic action to implement these recommendations. Prohibitions on catch, such as required for the species listed on the Barcelona Convention, should be urgently implemented to avoid further declines and extinctions. The IUCN Shark Specialist Group and the Shark Trust are working together to ensure implementation of protections for all three species of Angel Shark.
INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE
IUCN Centre for Mediterranean CooperationMarie Curie, 22. 29590 - Campanillas (Málaga) Spainiucnmed@ iucn.org | Tel +34 95 202 84 30 | Fax +34 95 202 81 45www.iucn.org/mediterranean
Core support to the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation is provided by:
REFERENCES
1. Dulvy, N.K. et al. 2014. Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks and rays. eLife 3: e00590.
2. Cavanagh, R.D. and Gibson, C. 2007. Overview of the Conservation Status of Cartilaginous Fishes (Chondrichthyans) in the Mediterranean Sea. IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland and Malaga, Spain.
3. Camhi, M.D., Fowler, S.L., Musick, J.A., Bräutigam, A. and Fordham, S.V. 1998. Sharks and their relatives: ecology and conservation. IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
4. Notarbartolo-Di-Sciara, G. 2014. Sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, in the Mediterranean Sea: a summary of status, threats, and conservation recommendations. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 24: 4-10.
5. Vasilakopoulos, P., Maravelias, C.D. and Tserpes, G. 2014. The Alarming Decline of Mediterranean Fish Stocks. Current Biology 24(14): 1643-1648.
6. Osio, G.C., Orio, A. and Millar, C.P. 2015. Assessing the vulnerability of Mediterranean demersal stocks and predicting exploitation status of un-assessed stocks. Fisheries Research 171: 110-121.
CITATION: Dulvy, N.K., Allen, D.J., Ralph, G.M. and Walls, R.H.L. (2016). The conservation status of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras in the Mediterranean Sea [Brochure]. IUCN, Malaga, Spain.
AUTHORS
Nicholas K. Dulvy, IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
David J. Allen, IUCN Global Species Programme, The David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Gina M. Ralph, IUCN Global Species Programme, Marine Biodiversity Unit, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, United States.
Rachel H.L. Walls, IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
©2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature
Sandbar Shark, Carcharhius plumbeus © Tahsin Ceylan
MEDITERRANEAN SHARKS AND RAYS FACE AN EXTINCTION CRISIS
At least 53% of the sharks, rays and chimaeras native to the Mediterranean Sea are at risk of extinction and require urgent action to conserve their populations and habitats.
This publication summarizes the outcomes of a signi� cant collaboration between the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, the IUCN Global Species Programme and the IUCN Shark Specialist Group who, together with experts from across the Mediterranean region, have worked to bring together available information on the species of Chondrichthyans found in the Mediterranean Sea and produce assessments for the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM.
This assessment was undertaken through the Mediterranean Red List Initiative, which is coordinated by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation.
Bullray, Pteromylaeus bovinus © La Ciutat De Les Arts I Les Ciències, Valencia
Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias © Peter Verhoog / Dutch Shark Society
Rough Skate,Raja radula © Tahsin Ceylan
CH
IMA
ER
AS
OR
DE
R: C
HIM
AE
RIF
OR
ME
SFA
MIL
YS
CIE
NT
IFIC
NA
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& C
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EN
: EN
GL
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E
S: E
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AN
ÇA
ISIN
TE
RN
AT
ION
AL
LE
GA
L IN
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RU
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NT
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Chi
mae
ridae
Ch
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mo
nst
rosa
Lin
naeu
s, 1
758
Nea
r Th
reat
ened
EN
Rab
bit
Fish
, Rat
Fis
h
ES
Qui
mer
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Chi
mèr
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FR
: FR
AN
ÇA
ISIN
TE
RN
AT
ION
AL
LE
GA
L IN
ST
RU
ME
NT
S
Das
yatid
ae
Da
syat
is c
en
tro
ura
(Mitc
hill,
181
5) V
ulne
rab
le A
2dE
N R
ough
tail
Stin
gray
E
S R
aya
Látig
o Is
leña
F
R P
aste
nagu
e É
pin
euse
Da
syat
is m
arm
ora
ta (S
tein
dac
hner
, 189
2) D
ata
Defi
cie
ntE
N M
arb
led
Stin
gray
E
S R
aya
Látig
o Ja
spea
da
F
R P
aste
nagu
e M
arb
rée
Da
syat
is p
ast
inac
a (L
inna
eus,
175
8) V
ulne
rab
le A
2dE
N C
omm
on S
tingr
ay
ES
Ray
a Lá
tigo
Com
ún, C
huch
o
FR
Rai
e P
aste
nagu
eH
ima
ntu
ra u
arn
ak
(Gm
elin
, 178
9) N
ot A
pp
licab
leE
N R
etic
ulat
e W
hip
ray,
Hon
eyco
mb
Stin
gray
E
S C
hup
are
Ova
l F
R P
aste
nagu
e In
die
nne
Pte
rop
laty
tryg
on
vio
lace
a (B
onap
arte
, 183
2) L
east
Con
cern
EN
Pel
agic
Stin
gray
E
S R
aya
Látig
o V
iole
ta, R
aya
Neg
ra
FR
Pas
tena
gue
Vio
lett
eTa
en
iuro
ps
gra
bat
a (G
eoff
roy
Sai
nt-H
ilaire
, 181
7) D
ata
Defi
cie
ntE
N R
ound
Fan
tail
Stin
gray
E
S C
hup
are
Red
ond
o, P
astin
aca
Red
ond
a
FR
Pas
tena
gue
Afr
icai
ne, P
aste
nagu
e R
ond
eG
ymnu
ridae
Gym
nu
ra a
ltav
ela
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2bd
EN
Sp
iny
But
terfl
y R
ay
ES
Ray
a M
arip
osa,
Man
telli
na
FR
Rai
e-p
apill
on É
pin
euse
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Mob
ulid
aeM
ob
ula
mo
bu
lar
(Bon
nate
rre,
178
8) E
ndan
gere
d A
2dE
N G
iant
Dev
il R
ay
ES
Man
ta, M
anta
Mob
ula
F
R D
iab
le d
e M
er M
édite
rran
éen,
Man
te
CM
S: A
pp
end
ix I
& II
/ C
ITE
S:
Ap
pen
dix
II /
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Myl
iob
atid
aeM
ylio
bat
is a
qu
ila (L
inna
eus,
175
8) V
ulne
rab
le A
2bE
N C
omm
on E
agle
Ray
E
S Á
guila
Mar
ina
F
R H
irond
elle
, Aig
le C
omm
unP
tero
myl
ae
us
bo
vin
us
(Geo
ffro
y S
aint
-Hila
ire, 1
817)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2cE
N B
ullra
y
ES
Pez
Ob
isp
o
FR
Aig
le V
ache
tte
Pris
tidae
Pri
stis
pe
ctin
ata
Lath
am, 1
794
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2b; D
EN
Sm
allto
oth
Saw
fi sh
E
S P
ez S
ierr
a
FR
Poi
sson
-sci
e Ti
den
tC
MS
: App
endi
x I &
II /
CIT
ES: A
ppen
dix
I /
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Pri
stis
pri
stis
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2b; D
EN
Lar
geto
oth
Saw
fi sh,
Com
mon
Saw
fi sh
E
S P
ez S
ierr
a, P
ez S
ierr
a C
omún
FR
Poi
sson
-sci
e C
omm
unC
MS
: App
endi
x I &
II /
CIT
ES: A
ppen
dix
I /
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Raj
idae
Dip
turu
s b
atis
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2bE
N C
omm
on S
kate
E
S N
orie
ga, R
aya
Nor
uega
F
R P
oche
teau
Gris
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Dip
turu
s o
xyri
nch
us
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Nea
r Th
reat
ened
EN
Lon
gnos
ed S
kate
E
S P
icón
, Ray
a P
icud
a
FR
Poc
hete
au N
oir
Le
uco
raja
cir
cula
ris
(Cou
ch, 1
838)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2bcd
EN
San
dy
Ska
te
ES
Ray
a Fa
lsa
Vela
F
R R
aie
Circ
ulai
reB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Le
uco
raja
fu
llon
ica
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2bd
EN
Sha
gree
n S
kate
E
S R
aya
Car
dad
ora
F
R R
aie
Cha
rdon
Le
uco
raja
me
lite
nsi
s (C
lark
, 192
6) C
ritic
ally
End
ange
red
A2b
cd+
3bcd
EN
Mal
tese
Ska
te, M
alte
se R
ay
ES
Ray
a d
e M
alta
F
R R
aie
de
Mal
te, R
aie
Mal
tais
eB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Le
uco
raja
na
evu
s (M
ülle
r &
Hen
le, 1
841)
Nea
r Th
reat
ened
EN
Cuc
koo
Ska
te
ES
Ray
a S
antia
gues
a
FR
Rai
e Fl
eurie
Ma
laco
raja
cla
vata
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Nea
r Th
reat
ened
EN
Tho
rnb
ack
Ska
te
ES
Ray
a d
e C
lavo
s, R
aya
F
R R
aie
Bou
clée
Ra
ja a
ste
ria
s D
elar
oche
, 180
9 N
ear
Thre
aten
edE
N S
tarr
y S
kate
E
S R
aya
Est
rella
da,
Ray
a
FR
Rai
e É
toilé
eR
aja
bra
chyu
ra L
afon
t, 18
71 N
ear
Thre
aten
edE
N B
lond
e S
kate
, Blo
nde
Ray
E
S R
aya
Boc
a d
e R
osa
F
R R
aie
Bla
nche
, Rai
e Li
sse
Ra
ja m
ira
letu
s Li
nnae
us, 1
758
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N B
row
n S
kate
E
S R
aya
de
Esp
ejos
F
R R
aie
Miro
irR
aja
mo
nta
gu
i Fow
ler,
1910
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N S
pot
ted
Ska
te, S
pot
ted
Ray
E
S R
aya
Pin
tad
a
FR
Rai
e D
ouce
Ra
ja p
oly
stig
ma
Reg
an, 1
923
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N S
pec
kled
Ska
te, S
pec
kled
Ray
E
S R
aya
Man
chad
a
FR
Rai
e Ta
chet
éeR
aja
ra
du
la D
elar
oche
, 180
9 E
ndan
gere
d A
4bE
N R
ough
Ska
te
ES
Ray
a Á
sper
a
FR
Rai
e R
ape
Ra
ja u
nd
ula
ta L
acep
ède,
180
2 N
ear
Thre
aten
edE
N U
ndul
ate
Ska
te, U
ndul
ate
Ray
E
S R
aya
Mos
aico
F
R R
aie
Bru
nett
eR
ost
rora
ja a
lba
(Lac
epèd
e, 1
803)
End
ange
red
A2b
dE
N W
hite
Ska
te
ES
Ray
a B
ram
ante
F
R R
aie
Bla
nche
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Rhi
nob
atid
aeG
lau
cost
egu
s ce
mic
ulu
s (G
eoffr
oy S
aint
-Hila
ire, 1
817)
End
ange
red
A3b
dE
N B
lack
chin
Gui
tarfi
sh
E
S G
uita
rra
de
Mor
ro N
egro
F
R G
uita
re d
e M
er F
ouis
seus
eB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Rh
ino
bat
os
rhin
ob
ato
s (L
inna
eus,
175
8) E
ndan
gere
d A
2bE
N C
omm
on G
uita
rfi s
h
ES
Pez
Gui
tarr
a, G
uita
rra
F
R G
uita
re d
e M
er C
omm
une
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Rhi
nopt
erid
aeR
hin
op
tera
ma
rgin
ata
(Geo
ffro
y S
aint
-Hila
ire, 1
817)
Dat
a D
efi c
ient
EN
Lus
itani
an C
owno
se R
ay
ES
Gav
ilán
Lusi
táni
co, A
rzob
isp
o
FR
Mou
rine
Lusi
tani
enne
Torp
edin
idae
Tetr
on
arc
e n
ob
ilia
na
(Bon
apar
te, 1
835)
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N G
reat
Tor
pedo
Ray
, Ele
ctric
Ray
E
S T
rem
ielg
a N
egra
, Tor
pedo
del
Atlá
ntic
o
FR
Tor
pille
Noi
reTo
rpe
do
ma
rmo
rata
Ris
so, 1
810
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N S
pot
ted
Torp
edo
E
S T
emb
lad
era
F
R T
orp
ille
Mar
bré
eTo
rpe
do
to
rpe
do
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N C
omm
on T
orp
edo
Ray
E
S T
emb
lad
era,
Tre
mie
lga,
Tre
mol
ina
Com
ún
FR
Tor
pill
e O
cellé
e
1/4
The
Con
serv
atio
n S
tatu
s of
Sha
rks,
Ray
s an
d C
him
aera
s in
the
Med
iterra
nean
Sea
Thi
s 20
16 r
egio
nal a
sses
smen
t of
the
Med
iterr
anea
n S
ea in
clud
ed 7
3 sp
ecie
s of
sha
rks,
ray
s an
d c
him
aera
s. F
our
sp
ecie
s (C
arch
arhi
nus
bre
vip
inna
, H
iman
tura
uar
nak,
Sp
hyrn
a m
oka
rran
and
Sp
hyrn
a le
win
i) ar
e no
t el
igib
le fo
r as
sess
men
t in
the
Med
iterr
anea
n re
gio
n as
the
y ar
e co
nsid
ered
to
be
eith
er v
agra
nts
or
Less
epsi
an im
mig
rant
s (fr
om
the
Red
Sea
). T
hree
sp
ecie
s (L
euco
raja
mel
itens
is, R
aja
po
lyst
igm
a an
d R
aja
rad
ula)
are
co
nsid
ered
end
emic
to
the
Med
iterr
anea
n S
ea; t
he s
pec
ies
nam
e of
the
se e
ndem
ic r
ays
is h
ighl
ight
ed in
red
in t
he t
able
bel
ow.
© 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature
SH
AR
KS
OR
DE
R: C
AR
CH
AR
HIN
IFO
RM
ES
FAM
ILY
SC
IEN
TIF
IC N
AM
E
AU
TH
OR
ITY
ME
DIT
ER
RA
NE
AN
RE
D L
IST
C
AT
EG
OR
Y &
CR
ITE
RIA
CO
MM
ON
NA
ME
SE
N: E
NG
LIS
H
ES
: ES
PA
ÑO
L F
R: F
RA
NÇ
AIS
INT
ER
NA
TIO
NA
L L
EG
AL
INS
TR
UM
EN
TS
Car
char
hini
dae
Ca
rch
arh
inu
s a
ltim
us
(Sp
ringe
r, 19
50)
Dat
a D
efi c
ient
EN
Big
nose
Sha
rk
ES
Tib
urón
Bab
oso
F
R R
equi
n B
abos
seC
arc
ha
rhin
us
bra
chyu
rus
(Gün
ther
, 187
0) D
ata
Defi
cie
ntE
N C
opp
er S
hark
E
S T
ibur
ón C
obriz
o
FR
Req
uin
Cui
vre
Ca
rch
arh
inu
s b
revi
pin
na
(Mül
ler
& H
enle
, 183
9) N
ot A
pp
licab
leE
N S
pin
ner
Sha
rk
ES
Tib
urón
Ale
ta N
egra
F
R R
equi
n Ti
sser
and
Ca
rch
arh
inu
s lim
bat
us
(Mül
ler
& H
enle
, 183
9) D
ata
Defi
cie
ntE
N B
lack
tip S
hark
E
S T
ibur
ón d
e P
unta
s N
egra
s, T
ibur
ón, M
acui
ra
FR
Req
uin
Bor
dé
Ca
rch
arh
inu
s o
bsc
uru
s (L
esue
ur, 1
818)
Dat
a D
efi c
ient
EN
Dus
ky S
hark
E
S T
ibur
ón A
rene
ro
FR
Req
uin
de
Sab
leC
arc
ha
rhin
us
plu
mb
eu
s (N
ard
o, 1
827)
End
ange
red
A4d
EN
San
db
ar S
hark
E
S T
ibur
ón T
rozo
F
R R
equi
n G
risB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
III
Pri
on
ace
gla
uc
a (L
inna
eus,
175
8) C
ritic
ally
End
ange
red
A2b
dE
N B
lue
Sha
rk
ES
Tib
urón
Azu
l, Ti
ntor
era
F
R P
eau
Ble
ueB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
III
Scy
liorh
inid
ae
Ga
leu
s at
lan
ticu
s (V
ailla
nt, 1
888)
Nea
r Th
reat
ened
EN
Atla
ntic
Saw
tail
Cat
shar
k
ES
Ola
yo A
tlánt
ico,
Pin
tarr
oja
Atlá
ntic
a
FR
Chi
en A
tlant
ique
Ga
leu
s m
ela
sto
mu
s R
afi n
esq
ue, 1
810
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N B
lack
mou
th C
atsh
ark
E
S P
inta
rroj
a B
ocan
egra
F
R C
hien
Esp
agno
lS
cylio
rhin
us
ca
nic
ula
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N S
mal
l Sp
otte
d C
atsh
ark
E
S P
inta
rroj
a
FR
Pet
ite R
ouss
ette
Scy
liorh
inu
s st
ella
ris
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Nea
r Th
reat
ened
EN
Nur
seho
und
E
S A
litán
F
R G
rand
e R
ouss
ette
Sp
hyrn
idae
Sp
hyr
na
lew
ini (
Grif
fi th
& S
mith
, 183
4) N
ot A
pp
licab
leE
N S
callo
ped
Ham
mer
head
E
S C
ornu
da,
Tib
urón
Mar
tillo
F
R R
equi
n-m
arte
au H
alic
orne
CIT
ES
: Ap
pen
dix
II /
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Sp
hyr
na
mo
karr
an
(Rüp
pel
l, 18
37)
Not
Ap
plic
able
EN
Gre
at H
amm
erhe
ad
ES
Cor
nud
a G
igan
te, T
ibur
ón M
artil
lo
FR
Gra
nd R
equi
n-m
arte
auC
ITE
S: A
pp
end
ix II
/ B
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Sp
hyr
na
zyg
ae
na
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2bd
EN
Sm
ooth
Ham
mer
head
E
S C
ornu
da,
Tib
urón
Mar
tillo
F
R R
equi
n-m
arte
au C
omm
unC
ITE
S: A
pp
end
ix II
/ B
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Tria
kid
ae
Ga
leo
rhin
us
ga
leu
s (L
inna
eus,
175
8) V
ulne
rab
le A
2bd
EN
Top
e
ES
Caz
ón
FR
Req
uin-
hâB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Mu
ste
lus
ast
eri
as
Clo
que
t, 18
19 V
ulne
rab
le A
2bd
EN
Sta
rry
Sm
ooth
houn
d
ES
Mus
ola
Den
tud
a
FR
Ém
isso
le t
ache
tée
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
I
Mu
ste
lus
mu
ste
lus
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Vul
nera
ble
A2b
dE
N C
omm
on S
moo
thho
und
E
S M
usol
a
FR
Ém
isso
le li
sse
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
I
Mu
ste
lus
pu
nct
ula
tus
Ris
so, 1
827
Vul
nera
ble
A4d
EN
Bla
cksp
otte
d S
moo
thho
und
E
S M
usol
a, M
usol
a P
imie
nta
F
R É
mis
sole
liss
eB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
III
OR
DE
R: H
EX
AN
CH
IFO
RM
ES
Hex
anch
idae
He
ptr
an
chia
s p
erl
o (B
onna
terr
e, 1
788)
Dat
a D
efi c
ient
EN
Sha
rpno
se S
even
gill
Sha
rk
ES
Cañ
abot
a B
ocad
ulce
, Boc
adul
ce
FR
Req
uin
Per
lon
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
I
Hex
an
chu
s g
rise
us
(Bon
nate
rre,
178
8) L
east
Con
cern
EN
Blu
ntno
se S
ixgi
ll S
hark
E
S C
añab
ota
Gris
F
R R
equi
n G
riset
Hex
an
chu
s n
aka
mu
rai T
eng,
196
2 D
ata
Defi
cie
ntE
N B
igey
ed S
ixgi
ll S
hark
E
S C
añab
ota
Ojig
rand
e
FR
Req
uin
Vach
eO
RD
ER
: LA
MN
IFO
RM
ES
Alo
piid
aeA
lop
ias
sup
erc
ilio
sus
Low
e, 1
841
End
ange
red
A2b
dE
N B
igey
e Th
resh
er S
hark
E
S Z
orro
Ojó
n
FR
Ren
ard
à G
ros
Yeux
CM
S: A
pp
end
ix II
/ C
ITE
S: A
pp
end
ix II
Alo
pia
s vu
lpin
us
(Bon
nate
rre,
178
8) E
ndan
gere
d A
2bd
EN
Com
mon
Thr
eshe
r S
hark
E
S Z
orro
F
R R
enar
dC
MS
: Ap
pen
dix
II /
CIT
ES
: Ap
pen
dix
II /
B
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
III
Cet
orhi
nid
aeC
eto
rhin
us
ma
xim
us
(Gun
neru
s, 1
765)
End
ange
red
A2b
dE
N B
aski
ng S
hark
E
S T
ibur
ón P
ereg
rino
F
R R
equi
n P
èler
inC
MS
: Ap
pen
dix
I &
II /
CIT
ES
: A
pp
end
ix II
/ B
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Lam
nid
ae
Ca
rch
aro
do
n c
arc
ha
ria
s (L
inna
eus,
175
8) C
ritic
ally
End
ange
red
A2d
EN
Gre
at W
hite
Sha
rk
ES
Tib
urón
Bla
nco
F
R G
rand
Req
uin
Bla
ncC
MS
: Ap
pen
dix
I &
II /
CIT
ES
: A
pp
end
ix II
/ B
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Isu
rus
oxy
rin
chu
s R
afi n
esq
ue, 1
810
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2bd
EN
Sho
rtfi n
Mak
o
ES
Tib
urón
Mak
o, M
arra
jo
FR
Req
uin
Mak
o, R
equi
n-ta
upe
Ble
uC
MS
: Ap
pen
dix
II /
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Isu
rus
pa
ucu
s G
uita
rt, 1
966
Dat
a D
efi c
ient
EN
Lon
gfi n
Mak
o
ES
Mar
rajo
Car
ite, M
arra
jo N
egro
F
R P
etit
Req
uin
Taup
e, P
etit
Taup
eL
am
na
na
sus
(Bon
nate
rre,
178
8) C
ritic
ally
End
ange
red
A2b
dE
N P
orb
eagl
e
ES
Mar
rajo
Sar
din
ero,
Cai
lón
F
R R
equi
n-ta
upe
Com
mun
CM
S: A
pp
end
ix II
/ C
ITE
S: A
pp
end
ix II
/
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Od
onta
spid
idae
Ca
rch
ari
as
tau
rus
Rafi
nes
que
, 181
0 C
ritic
ally
End
ange
red
C2a
(ii)
EN
San
d Ti
ger
Sha
rk
ES
Tib
urón
Tor
o, T
oro
Bac
ota
F
R R
equi
n Ta
urea
uB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Od
on
tasp
is f
ero
x (R
isso
, 181
0) C
ritic
ally
End
ange
red
A2b
cdE
N S
mal
ltoot
h S
and
Tige
r
ES
Sol
rayo
, Mon
stru
o d
e M
alp
elo,
Tib
urón
Lis
o
FR
Req
uin
Féro
ceB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
OR
DE
R: S
QU
AL
IFO
RM
ES
Cen
trop
horid
aeC
en
tro
ph
oru
s g
ran
ulo
sus
(Blo
ch &
Sch
neid
er, 1
801)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
4bE
N G
ulp
er S
hark
E
S Q
uelv
acho
, Gel
ve
FR
Sq
uale
-cha
grin
Com
mun
, Sq
uale
-cha
grin
Aig
uille
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
I
Dal
atiid
aeD
ala
tia
s lic
ha
(Bon
nate
rre,
178
8) V
ulne
rab
le A
3d+
4dE
N K
itefi n
Sha
rk
ES
Car
ocho
, Lija
F
R S
qua
le L
iche
Ech
inor
hini
dae
Ech
ino
rhin
us
bru
cus
(Bon
nate
rre,
178
8) E
ndan
gere
d A
2bcd
EN
Bra
mb
le S
hark
E
S P
ez C
lavo
F
R S
qua
le B
oucl
éE
tmop
terid
aeE
tmo
pte
rus
spin
ax
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Lea
st C
once
rnE
N V
elve
t Bel
ly L
ante
rnsh
ark
E
S N
egrit
o, T
ibur
ón L
inte
rna
Vellu
do
F
R S
agre
Com
mun
Oxy
notid
aeO
xyn
otu
s ce
ntr
ina
(Lin
naeu
s, 1
758)
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2bd
EN
Ang
ular
Rou
gh S
hark
E
S C
erd
o M
arin
o
FR
Cen
trin
e C
omm
une
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Som
nios
idae
Ce
ntr
osc
ymn
us
coe
lole
pis
B
arb
osa
du
Boc
age
& d
e B
rito
Cap
ello
, 186
4 L
east
Con
cern
EN
Por
tugu
ese
Dog
fi sh
E
S P
ailo
na
FR
Pai
lona
Com
mun
So
mn
iosu
s ro
stra
tus
(Ris
so, 1
827)
Dat
a D
efi c
ient
EN
Litt
le S
leep
er S
hark
E
S T
ollo
Bor
eal,
Tib
urón
Dor
miló
n
FR
Lai
mar
gue
de
la M
édite
rran
ée
Sq
ualid
aeS
qu
alu
s ac
an
thia
s Li
nnae
us, 1
758
End
ange
red
A2b
dE
N S
pin
y D
ogfi s
h, P
icke
d D
ogfi s
h
ES
Mie
lga,
Gal
lud
o
FR
Aig
uilla
t Com
mun
CM
S: A
pp
end
ix II
/ B
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
III
Sq
ua
lus
bla
invi
lle (R
isso
, 182
7) D
ata
Defi
cie
ntE
N L
ongn
ose
Sp
urd
og
ES
Gal
lud
o
FR
Aig
uilla
t Coq
Sq
ua
lus
me
ga
lop
s (M
acle
ay, 1
881)
Dat
a D
efi c
ient
EN
Sho
rtno
se S
pur
dog
E
S G
allu
do
Ñat
o
FR
Aig
uilla
t Nez
Cou
rtO
RD
ER
: SQ
UA
TIN
IFO
RM
ES
Sq
uatin
idae
Sq
uat
ina
acu
leat
a C
uvie
r, 18
29 C
ritic
ally
End
ange
red
A2b
cdE
N S
awb
ack
Ang
elsh
ark
E
S A
ngel
ote
Esp
inos
o, A
ngel
ote
Esp
inud
o
FR
Ang
e d
e M
er É
pin
eux
BC
N C
onv.
: Ann
ex II
Sq
uat
ina
ocu
lata
Bon
apar
te, 1
840
Crit
ical
ly E
ndan
gere
d A
2bcd
+3c
dE
N S
moo
thb
ack
Ang
el S
hark
E
S P
ez Á
ngel
F
R A
nge
de
Mer
Oce
lléB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
Sq
uat
ina
squ
atin
a (L
inna
eus,
175
8) C
ritic
ally
End
ange
red
A2b
cd+
3dE
N A
ngel
shar
k
ES
Pez
Áng
el
FR
Ang
e d
e M
er C
omm
unB
CN
Con
v.: A
nnex
II
A n
umb
er o
f sp
ecie
s ar
e p
rote
cted
und
er A
pp
end
ix I
(End
ang
ered
mig
rato
ry s
pec
ies)
and
/or
II (M
igra
tory
sp
ecie
s co
nser
ved
thr
oug
h A
gre
emen
ts) o
f the
Co
nven
tion
on
Mig
rato
ry S
pec
ies
(CM
S),
Ap
pen
dix
I (S
pec
ies
thre
aten
ed w
ith e
xtin
ctio
n) o
f CIT
ES
(the
Co
nven
tion
on
Inte
rnat
iona
l Tra
de
in E
ndan
ger
ed S
pec
ies
of W
ild F
auna
and
Flo
ra),
or
und
er A
nnex
II (L
ist o
f End
ang
ered
or
Thr
eate
ned
Sp
ecie
s) o
r III
(Lis
t of S
pec
ies
Who
se
Exp
loita
tion
is R
egul
ated
) of t
he S
PA
/BD
Pro
toco
l (S
pec
ially
Pro
tect
ed A
reas
and
Bio
logi
cal D
iver
sity
in t
he M
edite
rran
ean)
of t
he B
arce
lona
Co
nven
tion
(BC
N C
on
v.).
© 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature
2/4 SKATES
SKATES in the family Rajidae, particularly the larger bodied species, have suffered severe declines, with evidence of local extinction of two of the very largest
species found in the Mediterranean Sea – the White Skate (Rostroraja alba) and the Common Skate (Dipturus spp.). Here we draw attention to the plight of the Rough Skate (Raja radula), one of the three skates found nowhere else in the world; the Endangered
Rough Skate, like the Critically Endangered Maltese Skate (Leucoraja melitensis) and the Least Concern Speckled Skate (Raja polystigma) are endemic and currently con� rmed only in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Rough Skate is found in coastal waters to 350 m in depth, more commonly at less than 40 m in depth, especially in the western Mediterranean Sea around the Balearic Islands. Like all other skates this species
Endangered Endemic Skates of the Mediterranean Sea
Rough Skate, Raja radula (EN)
© Roberto Pillon
EX
RE
CR
EN
VU
NT
LC
DD
ROUGH SKATE Raja radula
MALTESE SKATE Leucoraja melitensis
lays pairs of 5 cm-long eggs, or ‘mermaids purses’, mainly in spring and summer. The eggs hatch after around four months of development. The maximum size reached is approximately 70 cm in length. Little is known of the age of maturation, however it is inferred that the generation span is around nine years.
The Rough Skate is not exploited or traded commercially but is commonly taken as bycatch of demersal trawl, gillnet, trammel net, bottom longline, and purse seine � sheries, although no species-speci� c catch data are available. For example, in the Balearic Islands this skate is more common in shallow waters where it is taken in: trammel net � sheries targeting Cuttle� sh (Sepia offi cinalis) and bony � sh; gillnet � sheries targeting the European Spiny Lobster (Palinurus elephas) and the Red Mullet (Mullus surmuletus); and bottom longline � sheries targeting groupers (Epinephelus spp.) and sea breams (Sparidae). Species-speci� c data are not usually available because landings of skates are grouped as “rays” or “skates”.
According to information provided by the International Bottom Trawl Survey in the Mediterranean (MEDITS), the Rough Skate was captured in only 21 of 6,336 tows in the northern Mediterranean Sea between 1994 and 1999. There is evidence that the Rough Skate was formerly more abundant
in this region. Further east, in the Aegean Sea, this skate is uncommon and, where present, it appears to have undergone steep declines in the past two decades.
Given that the Rough Skate appears to be endemic to the Mediterranean Sea where it has recently declined in some regions, and ongoing relatively intense � shing pressure overlaps with parts of its range, the Rough Skate was assessed as Endangered based on an estimated decline of >50% over a three-generation period (27 years).
Currently no species-speci� c management or conservation measures are in place for the Rough Skate. It is recommended that catch and trends of this species be monitored and science-based catch limits are set and enforced to halt the decline.
Dulvy, N. and Walls, R. 2015. Leucoraja melitensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T61405A48954483. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-1.RLTS.T61405A48954483.en
Mancusi, C., Morey, G. and Serena, F. 2016. Raja radula. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T161339A16527984. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T161339A16527984.en
Endangered Endemic Skates of the Mediterranean Sea
© 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature
Raja radula © Roberto Pillon
3/4 ANGEL SHARKS
ANGEL SHARKS* (Squatinidae) are among the most threatened families of the chondrichthyans, along with saw� shes (Pristidae) and Guitar� shes (Rhinobatidae).
There are three Angel Shark species present in the Mediterranean Sea: the Angelshark*, the Sawback Angelshark, and the Smoothback Angelshark. These Angel Sharks have broadly similar distributions, ecology and life histories. All three species are Critically Endangered (Ferretti et al. 2016 a,b, Soldo and Bariche 2016) and their populations are decreasing. Most is known of the distribution, ecology and declines of the Angelshark (Squatina squatina) with little detail known of the other two species. All three species are thought to be nearly extinct throughout much of their range in the Mediterranean Sea.Angel Sharks prefer sandy and muddy habitats and can be found close inshore at depths ranging from less than 5 m down to at least 150 m in depth. Angel Sharks are
bottom-dwelling sit-and-wait predators and hence are susceptible to capture because they are found in habitats favoured by trawlers and netters. Like rays, skates and guitar� shes, these � at sharks are highly catchable because their large size at birth means they are retained by even large mesh nets. Angel Sharks were taken as a retained bycatch of trawl, net and longline � sheries, but were also formerly targeted with nets called squanere (Angel Shark nets) in parts of the Mediterranean Sea. Fishing effort of these gears has increased over the last half century leading to the decline and local extinction of many larger-bodied species of skates and rays.The Angelshark Squatina squatina was formerly common and widespread in coastal and continental shelf seas; originally ranging from Scandinavia to northwest Africa (Mauritania and the Canary Islands), including the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The Angelshark reaches at least
The near extinction of the Angel Sharks from the Mediterranean Sea
The Angelshark, Squatina squatina (CR)
© Tom Young
EX
RE
CR
EN
VU
NT
LC
DD
ANGELSHARK Squatina squatina
SAWBACK ANGELSHARK Squatina aculeata
SMOOTHBACK ANGELSHARK Squatina oculata
* The name ‘Angel Shark’ refers to all species within the family Squatinidae, whilst ‘Angelshark’ refers to the species Squatina squatina.
The near extinction of the Angel Sharks from the Mediterranean Sea
The Canary
Islands
Angelshark
workshop
© Jorge
Castellano
© 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature
183 cm in length, possibly up to 244 cm in the Mediterranean Sea. Angel Sharks give birth to live young, with litter sizes of the Angelshark ranging from 7 to 25 pups after a 10-month long gestation period. Little is known of the lifespan or maturation of the three Angel Sharks in the Mediterranean Sea, but the generation span was inferred to be 11 years for S. squatina, 12 years for S. oculata, and 15 years for S. aculeata.
The Angelshark was reportedly common, or at least frequently or regularly recorded in many areas during the 19th and early 20th centuries and its decline and disappearance is well documented. However, in the past few decades not one single individual has been captured in NE Atlantic and Mediterranean scienti� c surveys. Beyond the remaining stronghold of the Canary Islands, only occasional catches are reported from commercial and recreational � shers in the NE Atlantic.
Since 2012 these three Angel Sharks have been listed in Annex II of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean Sea (SPA/BD Protocol) of the Barcelona Convention. Subsequently, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean has developed a speci� c recommendation (GFCM/36/2012/3 ) on � sheries management measures for the elasmobranchs species listed in the aforementioned Annex and it states that these species cannot be retained on board, landed, or sold and must be released unharmed and alive.
It remains unclear whether this protection is well enforced as there are reported landings of Angel Sharks in the Mediterranean in recent years. There is a clear need to ensure that protection is enforced and that recovery planning is initiated.
The Angel Shark Project**, the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, and the Shark Trust are working with a number of stakeholders to develop an Angelshark Action Plan for the Canary Islands (focused speci� cally on S. squatina), alongside a wider Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Angel Shark Conservation Strategy.
Ferretti, F., Morey, G., Serena, F., Mancusi, C., Coelho, R.P., Seisay, M., Litvinov, F. and Buscher, E. 2016a. Squatina oculata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T61418A16570000. Downloaded on 15 August 2016.
Ferretti, F., Morey, G., Serena, F., Mancusi, C., Fowler, S.L., Dipper, F. and Ellis, J.R. 2016b. Squatina squatina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T39332A16570809. Downloaded on 15 August 2016.
Soldo, A. and Bariche, M. 2016. Squatina aculeata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T61417A16569265. Downloaded on 15 August 2016.
** The Angel Shark Project is a collaboration between, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Zoological Society of London, and the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig.
4/4 GUITARFISHES
TWO SPECIES OF GUITARFISH are found in the Mediterranean Sea and both are listed as Endangered (Bradai and Soldo 2016, Soldo and Bradai 2016):
the Blackchin Guitar� sh (Glaucostegus cemiculus) and the Common Guitar� sh (Rhinobatos rhinobatos). Guitar� shes (Family Rhinobatidae) are amongst the most threatened families of the cartilaginous � shes, along with saw� shes (Pristidae) and Angel Sharks (Squatinidae). Both guitar� shes have broadly similar distributions, ecology and life histories and here we focus on one of the species, the Common Guitar� sh.
The Common Guitar� sh is a large-bodied, bottom-dwelling ray that lives close inshore
ranging from very shallow water below the intertidal zone down to 180 m at the edge of the continental shelf. It lives over sandy and muddy seabeds and feeds on bottom-dwelling � shes and invertebrates. The Common Guitar� sh gives birth to live young in late summer and autumn. Each mother produces around � ve pups (of 30 cm long) each year after a 10 to 12 month long pregnancy. Common Guitar� sh females mature relatively early at an age of four years old and reach a maximum age of 24 years and each generation span is approximately 13.5 years long. Males have a much shorter lifespan, reaching onl
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