The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) presented an update of its Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) Atlas, incorporating for the first time the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Thanks to the collaboration of over 190 international experts, 81 ISRA areas, two candidates, and 25 Areas of Interest were identified, based on biological and ecological criteria.
Key Conservation Areas in Argentina
Various institutions, such as WCS Argentina, the National Parks Administration, and the Commission of Scientific Research of the Provincial University of the Southwest (CIC-UPS), contributed scientific information to define three areas in the country:
- Mar del Plata-Mar Chiquita
- El Rincón-North Patagonia
- San Julián Peninsula
These areas are home to endangered species such as smooth-hound sharks, tope sharks, school sharks, catsharks, leopard catsharks, in addition to the brown ray and the thorny angel fish.
Fishing Pressure and Risk of Extinction
Sharks, rays, and chimaeras are part of the chondrichthyan group, fishes that have a cartilaginous skeleton instead of bone.
They are the most threatened group of marine vertebrates in the world, due to intensive fishing that exploits them for meat, fin soup, and oil consumption.
Their slow growth and low fecundity hinder population recovery, putting their survival at risk. In the Argentine Sea, there are 105 chondrichthyan species, of which 55 are sharks, and many of them are endangered.
The Contribution of Citizen Science in Conservation
Since 2013, WCS Argentina has led the citizen science program “Conserving Sharks in Argentina”, in collaboration with the La Plata Museum of Natural Sciences and the Bernardino Rivadavia Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences.
This program promotes conservation practices through:
- Catch and release fishing, instead of catch and kill fishing.
- Data collection on captured and released species.
- Population monitoring, with over 3,300 marked sharks and 30 recaptured.
Critical Areas for Sharks in Buenos Aires
Argentina has defined over 20 key areas, including Mar del Plata-Mar Chiquita and El Rincón-North Patagonia, two fundamental regions for shark survival.
Mar del Plata-Mar Chiquita (559.7 km²), habitat of the school shark, whose population has decreased by over 80% in the last seven decades, and is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.
El Rincón-North Patagonia (13,966 km²), home to the catshark, also Critically Endangered, with overfished since 2024, according to the INIDEP.
A Key Initiative for Marine Conservation
The work of experts and fishermen reinforces the protection of marine species, providing crucial data to advance national and international regulations that ensure the survival of sharks in the Southwestern Atlantic.
Citizen science and sustainable management are essential to preserve oceanic biodiversity, ensuring the balance of marine ecosystems in the long term.
Cover photo: Julie Larsen Maher
