May 12, 2026 by David McGuire
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — This week over 800 researchers and conservationists gathered in Sri Lanka’s capital to discuss the global fate of sharks and rays at the Sharks International conference.
An off-cited 2015 study by Dr. Boris Worm of Dalhousie University warned that around 100 million sharks were killed each year, primarily for the shark fin trade.
But findings presented here by Dr. Aaron MacNeil of Dalhousie University warns that rays are even more overfished and are being overlooked by conservationists. MacNeil ‘s team estimates that at 191 million, nearly twice as many rays as sharks are being killed annually. They report that 438 538 metric tons of shark and ray meat from more than 150 species are landed each year. 76% of these ray species are considered Threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The MacNeil lab’s work focuses on understanding the global shark and ray meat trade. While the international trade in shark fins has been scrutinized, trade in non-fin products has not. Increasing meat consumption presents a potentially substantial threat to shark populations driven by demand for food.
Updated in 2024, the Worm et al. study reevaluated shark fishing-induced mortality worldwide and found that, overall, it has continued to increase over the past 10 years. Finning bans had little impact they report, but fishing regulations did reduce mortality in some offshore species. Worm et al. estimated that total fishing mortality increased from at least 76 to 80 million sharks between 2012 and 2019. Around 25 million of these were threatened species.
Fisheries data indicate that countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand are actually landing more rays than sharks, MacNeil’s team report. Besides consumption of fins and meat, ray skin is used to make leathered goods like boots, belts, shoes, purses and wallets. The emergence of new markets tied to “fins attached” policies for fishers are also increasing landings while continuing to supply the shark fin trade. Of particular concern are overfishing giant rays like the Bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma) known as the “King of Shark Fin” entering the shark fin soup trade. These sharklike Batoids have been overfished in recent decades. The bowmouth guitarfish or (“shark ray”) is a rare Indo-Pacific species of ray, now listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. This heavily targeted ray was provided protection under CITES Appendix II, in 2025. CITES strictly regulates international trade of wildlife or their body parts but offers no protection from fishing.
Rays are even more threatened than sharks observed Dr. Rima Jabado, chair of the Shark Specialist Group at the IUCN. While 33% of sharks are threatened with extinction, that figure rises to 36% for rays. Reef associated rays are especially at risk, with 69% threatened. However, far fewer rays are listed for protection by CITES, the global wildlife trade regulator.
At the week’s end Endangered Species Day kicked off a month of awareness when people across the USA can join to celebrate and defend the Endangered Species Act, and the threatened and endangered species the law helps protect.
References
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Worm, B., Orofino, S., Burns, E. S., D’Costa, N. G., Manir Feitosa, L., Palomares, M. L., … Bradley, D. (2024). Global shark fishing mortality still rising despite widespread regulatory change. Science, 383(6679), 225-230. doi:10.1126/science.adf8984
M Aaron MacNeil, Chris G. Mull, Ana Barbosa Martins, Elizabeth A. Babcock, Zoya Tyabji, Alex Andorra, Shelley Clarke, Rima W Jabado, Glenn Sant, Joshua E. Cinner, Jessica A. Gephart, Nicholas K Dulvy, Arun Oakley-Cogan, Devanshi Kasana, Luke Warwick, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, Sarah Fowler, Marcio de Araújo Freire, Michel Bariche, Océane Beaufort, Joseph J. Bizzarro, Matias Braccini, João Bráullio de Luna Sales, Carlos Bustamante, John Carlson, Patricia Charvet, Juan Martín Cuevas, Cezar A. F. Fernandes, Daniel Fernando, Brittany Finucci, Emiliano Garcia Rodriguez, Adriana Gonzalez-Pestana, Luis Gustavo Cardoso, Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis, Efin Muttaqin, Maria del Pilar Blanco-Parra, Carlos J. Polo-Silva, Jonathan S Ready, David Ruiz-García, Luz Erandi Saldaña-Ruiz, Issah Seidu, Oscar Sosa Nishizaki, Akshay Tanna, Rodolfo Vögler, Lucas Werner, Natascha Wosnick, Demian Chapman May 2026 (in review)
Hidden Diversity of Threatened Sharks and Rays in the Global Meat TradebioRxiv 2025.04.24.650194; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.24.650194
Philip Jacobson At World’s Largest Shark Conference, Scientists Warn of a Grim Outlook Across the Board Monga Bay May 20, 2026
F. Ferretti, B. Worm, G. L. Britten, M. R. Heithaus, H. K. Lotze, Patterns and ecosystem consequences of shark declines in the ocean. Ecol. Lett. 13, 1055–1071 (2010).
Dulvy, N. K., Pacoureau, N., Matsushiba, J. H., Yan, H. F., VanderWright, W. J., Rigby, C. L., … Simpfendorfer, C. A. (2024). Ecological erosion and expanding extinction risk of sharks and rays. Science, 386(6726). doi:10.1126/science.adn1477