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Finucci B, Pacoureau N, Rigby CL, Matsushiba JH, Faure-Beaulieu N, Sherman CS, VanderWright WJ, Jabado RW, Charvet P, Mejía-Falla PA, Navia AF, Derrick DH, Kyne PM, Pollom RA, Walls RHL, Herman KB, Kinattumkara B, Cotton CF, Cuevas JM, Daley RK, Dharmadi, Ebert DA, Fernando D, Fernando SMC, Francis MP, Huveneers C, Ishihara H, Kulka DW, Leslie RW, Neat F, Orlov AM, Rincon G, Sant GJ, Volvenko IV, Walker TI, Simpfendorfer CA, Dulvy NK. Fishing for oil and meat drives irreversible defaunation of deepwater sharks and rays. Science 2024; 383:1135-1141. [PMID: 38452078 DOI: 10.1126/science.ade9121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
The deep ocean is the last natural biodiversity refuge from the reach of human activities. Deepwater sharks and rays are among the most sensitive marine vertebrates to overexploitation. One-third of threatened deepwater sharks are targeted, and half the species targeted for the international liver-oil trade are threatened with extinction. Steep population declines cannot be easily reversed owing to long generation lengths, low recovery potentials, and the near absence of management. Depth and spatial limits to fishing activity could improve conservation when implemented alongside catch regulations, bycatch mitigation, and international trade regulation. Deepwater sharks and rays require immediate trade and fishing regulations to prevent irreversible defaunation and promote recovery of this threatened megafauna group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Finucci
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Nathan Pacoureau
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Cassandra L Rigby
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jay H Matsushiba
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nina Faure-Beaulieu
- Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Wildlands Conservation Trust, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - C Samantha Sherman
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Wade J VanderWright
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rima W Jabado
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Elasmo Project, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Patricia Charvet
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sistemática, Uso e Conservação da Biodiversidade (PPGSis), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Paola A Mejía-Falla
- Wildlife Conservation Society, WCS Colombia, Cali, Colombia
- Fundación Colombiana para la Investigación y Conservación de Tiburones y Rayas -SQUALUS, Cali, Colombia
| | - Andrés F Navia
- Fundación Colombiana para la Investigación y Conservación de Tiburones y Rayas -SQUALUS, Cali, Colombia
| | - Danielle H Derrick
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Peter M Kyne
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Riley A Pollom
- Species Recovery Program, Seattle Aquarium, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rachel H L Walls
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Bineesh Kinattumkara
- Zoological Survey of India, Marine Biology Regional Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Charles F Cotton
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Environmental Science, State University of New York-Cobleskill, Cobleskill, NY, USA
| | - Juan-Martín Cuevas
- Wildlife Conservation Society Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Ross K Daley
- Horizon Consultancy, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Dharmadi
- Research Centre for Fisheries Management and Conservation, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Government of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - David A Ebert
- Pacific Shark Research Center, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA, USA
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown, South Africa
- Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Malcolm P Francis
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Charlie Huveneers
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | | | - David W Kulka
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Robin W Leslie
- Fisheries Management Branch, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Sciences, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
- MA-RE Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Francis Neat
- Global Ocean Institute, World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden
| | - Alexei M Orlov
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Getulio Rincon
- Coordenação do Curso de Engenharia de Pesca, Universidade Federal do Maranhão-UFMA Campus Pinheiro, Pinheiro, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Glenn J Sant
- TRAFFIC, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- ANCORS, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Igor V Volvenko
- Pacific Branch of Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO), Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Terence I Walker
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Colin A Simpfendorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Nicholas K Dulvy
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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Dulvy NK, Pacoureau N, Rigby CL, Pollom RA, Jabado RW, Ebert DA, Finucci B, Pollock CM, Cheok J, Derrick DH, Herman KB, Sherman CS, VanderWright WJ, Lawson JM, Walls RHL, Carlson JK, Charvet P, Bineesh KK, Fernando D, Ralph GM, Matsushiba JH, Hilton-Taylor C, Fordham SV, Simpfendorfer CA. Overfishing drives over one-third of all sharks and rays toward a global extinction crisis. Curr Biol 2021; 31:5118-5119. [PMID: 34813743 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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3
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Dulvy NK, Pacoureau N, Rigby CL, Pollom RA, Jabado RW, Ebert DA, Finucci B, Pollock CM, Cheok J, Derrick DH, Herman KB, Sherman CS, VanderWright WJ, Lawson JM, Walls RHL, Carlson JK, Charvet P, Bineesh KK, Fernando D, Ralph GM, Matsushiba JH, Hilton-Taylor C, Fordham SV, Simpfendorfer CA. Overfishing drives over one-third of all sharks and rays toward a global extinction crisis. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4773-4787.e8. [PMID: 34492229 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The scale and drivers of marine biodiversity loss are being revealed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessment process. We present the first global reassessment of 1,199 species in Class Chondrichthyes-sharks, rays, and chimeras. The first global assessment (in 2014) concluded that one-quarter (24%) of species were threatened. Now, 391 (32.6%) species are threatened with extinction. When this percentage of threat is applied to Data Deficient species, more than one-third (37.5%) of chondrichthyans are estimated to be threatened, with much of this change resulting from new information. Three species are Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct), representing possibly the first global marine fish extinctions due to overfishing. Consequently, the chondrichthyan extinction rate is potentially 25 extinctions per million species years, comparable to that of terrestrial vertebrates. Overfishing is the universal threat affecting all 391 threatened species and is the sole threat for 67.3% of species and interacts with three other threats for the remaining third: loss and degradation of habitat (31.2% of threatened species), climate change (10.2%), and pollution (6.9%). Species are disproportionately threatened in tropical and subtropical coastal waters. Science-based limits on fishing, effective marine protected areas, and approaches that reduce or eliminate fishing mortality are urgently needed to minimize mortality of threatened species and ensure sustainable catch and trade of others. Immediate action is essential to prevent further extinctions and protect the potential for food security and ecosystem functions provided by this iconic lineage of predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas K Dulvy
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Nathan Pacoureau
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Cassandra L Rigby
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Riley A Pollom
- IUCN SSC Global Center for Species Survival, Indianapolis Zoo, 1200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222, USA
| | - Rima W Jabado
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Elasmo Project, PO Box 29588, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - David A Ebert
- Pacific Shark Research Center, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape 6140, South Africa
| | - Brittany Finucci
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Caroline M Pollock
- IUCN, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Jessica Cheok
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Danielle H Derrick
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | | | - C Samantha Sherman
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Wade J VanderWright
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Julia M Lawson
- Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, 2400 Bren Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131, USA
| | - Rachel H L Walls
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - John K Carlson
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center-Panama City Laboratory, 3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32408, USA
| | - Patricia Charvet
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sistemática, Uso e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará 60440-900, Brazil
| | - Kinattumkara K Bineesh
- Marine Biology Regional Centre, 130 Santhome High Road, Marine Biology Regional Centre, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, India
| | - Daniel Fernando
- Blue Resources Trust, 86 Barnes Place, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka; Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, SE 39182 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Gina M Ralph
- International Union for Conservation of Nature Marine Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA
| | - Jay H Matsushiba
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Craig Hilton-Taylor
- IUCN, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Sonja V Fordham
- Shark Advocates International c/o The Ocean Foundation, 1320 19th Street NW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA
| | - Colin A Simpfendorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
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Yan HF, Kyne PM, Jabado RW, Leeney RH, Davidson LNK, Derrick DH, Finucci B, Freckleton RP, Fordham SV, Dulvy NK. Overfishing and habitat loss drive range contraction of iconic marine fishes to near extinction. Sci Adv 2021; 7:7/7/eabb6026. [PMID: 33568471 PMCID: PMC7875525 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb6026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Extinctions on land are often inferred from sparse sightings over time, but this technique is ill-suited for wide-ranging species. We develop a space-for-time approach to track the spatial contraction and drivers of decline of sawfishes. These iconic and endangered shark-like rays were once found in warm, coastal waters of 90 nations and are now presumed extinct in more than half (n = 46). Using dynamic geography theory, we predict that sawfishes are gone from at least nine additional nations. Overfishing and habitat loss have reduced spatial occupancy, leading to local extinctions in 55 of the 90 nations, which equates to 58.7% of their historical distribution. Retention bans and habitat protections are urgently necessary to secure a future for sawfishes and similar species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen F Yan
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Peter M Kyne
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin 0909, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Rima W Jabado
- Elasmo Project, P.O. Box 29588, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ruth H Leeney
- Ballyhire, Kilrane, Rosslare Harbour, Co. Wexford, Ireland
| | - Lindsay N K Davidson
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Danielle H Derrick
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Brittany Finucci
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), 301 Evans Bay Pde, Greta Point, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
| | - Robert P Freckleton
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Sonja V Fordham
- Shark Advocates International, The Ocean Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Nicholas K Dulvy
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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Abstract
Many important areas identified for conservation priorities focus on areas of high species richness, however, it is unclear whether these areas change depending on what aspect of richness is considered (e.g. evolutionary distinctiveness, endemicity, or threatened species). Furthermore, little is known of the extent of spatial congruency between biodiversity measures in the marine realm. Here, we used the distribution maps of all known marine sharks, rays, and chimaeras (class Chondrichthyes) to examine the extent of spatial congruency across the hotspots of three measures of species richness: total number of species, evolutionarily distinct species, and endemic species. We assessed the spatial congruency between hotspots considering all species, as well as on the subset of the threatened species only. We consider three definitions of hotspot (2.5%, 5%, and 10% of cells with the highest numbers of species) and three levels of spatial resolution (1°, 4°, and 8° grid cells). Overall, we found low congruency among all three measures of species richness, with the threatened species comprising a smaller subset of the overall species patterns irrespective of hotspot definition. Areas of congruency at 1° and 5% richest cells contain over half (64%) of all sharks and rays and occurred off the coasts of: (1) Northern Mexico Gulf of California, (2) USA Gulf of Mexico, (3) Ecuador, (4) Uruguay and southern Brazil, (5) South Africa, southern Mozambique, and southern Namibia, (6) Japan, Taiwan, and parts of southern China, and (7) eastern and western Australia. Coarsening resolution increases congruency two-fold for all species but remains relatively low for threatened measures, and geographic locations of congruent areas also change. Finally, for pairwise comparisons of biodiversity measures, evolutionarily distinct species richness had the highest overlap with total species richness regardless of resolution or definition of hotspot. We suggest that focusing conservation attention solely on areas of high total species richness will not necessarily contribute efforts towards species that are most at risk, nor will it protect other important dimensions of species richness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle H. Derrick
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Jessica Cheok
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicholas K. Dulvy
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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