Important Shark and Ray Areas: A Tool to Optimize Marine Protected Areas to Benefit Sharks and Rays

The Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) project is a global initiative working to identify and map the most critical habitats for sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Using the best available science and expert knowledge, ISRAs highlight areas essential for feeding, reproduction, migration, and species aggregation—laying the foundation for more effective and targeted conservation efforts. With support from SCF, the project has already delineated over 600 ISRAs across the world’s ocean basins, covering habitats used by many of the world’s shark, ray, and chimaera species.

At the heart of the ISRA initiative is a collaborative process involving over 1,000 experts and practitioners, ensuring that local and regional knowledge informs every step. These scientifically credible, policy-relevant areas can be used by governments, NGOs, and marine planners to guide protection, inform spatial management, and strengthen international cooperation, ultimately helping secure a future for sharks, rays, and chimaeras in the wild.