The Challenge: Threats of unregulated and poorly regulated fishing are driving overfishing – which leads to shark and ray population declines – are compounded by habitat loss and climate change. Endemic shark species, i.e., those that are found in a limited number of countries, and in small, isolated populations, are at an elevated risk of extinction.
Solution: Establish legal protections for endemic and endangered shark species to preserve global biodiversity, increase species richness, and improve and restore shark population health worldwide.
Our Approach: SCF will ensure sharks and rays threatened with extinction from low population numbers, limited distributions, habitat loss – or from other causes – receive targeted protection, conservation, and recovery actions. SCF will establish legal protections in key geographic areas, which will offer the greatest opportunity to prevent extinctions, protect biodiversity, and preserve genetic diversity.
SCF will conserve and restore at least 65 species of endemic and endangered sharks for which trade is not the main threat.
Projects supported under this strategic objective will achieve the following:
· Prohibit the catch and retention of threatened, endemic, or limited distribution species.
· Implement conservation action plans for threatened limited distribution, endemic or data deficient shark and ray species.
· Limit fishing gear that results in high levels of incidental shark catch and mortality.
For a summary of the SCF Investment Strategy, click here.