The Shark Specialist Group (SSG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is today releasing a global strategy to prevent extinction and promote recovery of sawfishes, which have been devastated worldwide by overfishing and habitat loss.
https://iucnssg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/1727729-orig_orig.jpg7331100ElenaSSGhttps://iucnssg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/iucn-ssc-shark-specialist-group-ssg-logo-2021-b-w-cropped.pngElenaSSG2014-06-05 10:25:492026-08-28 10:31:09Endangered Sawfish: IUCN Strategy Released as Global Protection Proposed
The findings, published today in the journal eLife, are part of a global assessment of 1,041 species conducted by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group. Ray and sharks are at substantially higher risk than most other groups of animals and have the lowest percentage of species considered safe. Overfishing is the main threat. “Our analysis shows that sharks and their relatives are facing an alarmingly elevated risk of extinction,” says Dr. Nick Dulvy, IUCN SSG Co-Chair and professor at Simon Fraser University. “In greatest peril are the largest species of rays and sharks, especially those living in shallow water that is accessible to fisheries.”
https://iucnssg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/thresher.jpg5791003ElenaSSGhttps://iucnssg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/iucn-ssc-shark-specialist-group-ssg-logo-2021-b-w-cropped.pngElenaSSG2014-01-21 10:31:152026-08-28 10:49:31One Quarter of Sharks and Rays Threatened with Extinction
Shark and ray experts from around the world gathered this week at the Zoological Society London to address the plight of the most threatened marine fishes in the world – the sawfishes. The group, convened by the Shark Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is breaking new ground with the development of a focused global action plan to bring these iconic species back from the brink of extinction.
https://iucnssg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sawfish-olivier-born-87i9225_orig.jpg7331100ElenaSSGhttps://iucnssg.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/iucn-ssc-shark-specialist-group-ssg-logo-2021-b-w-cropped.pngElenaSSG2012-05-28 10:49:422026-08-28 10:53:11Securing a safe future for sawfishes
Endangered Sawfish: IUCN Strategy Released as Global Protection Proposed
PressThe Shark Specialist Group (SSG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is today releasing a global strategy to prevent extinction and promote recovery of sawfishes, which have been devastated worldwide by overfishing and habitat loss.
One Quarter of Sharks and Rays Threatened with Extinction
PressThe findings, published today in the journal eLife, are part of a global assessment of 1,041 species conducted by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group. Ray and sharks are at substantially higher risk than most other groups of animals and have the lowest percentage of species considered safe. Overfishing is the main threat. “Our analysis shows that sharks and their relatives are facing an alarmingly elevated risk of extinction,” says Dr. Nick Dulvy, IUCN SSG Co-Chair and professor at Simon Fraser University. “In greatest peril are the largest species of rays and sharks, especially those living in shallow water that is accessible to fisheries.”
Securing a safe future for sawfishes
PressShark and ray experts from around the world gathered this week at the Zoological Society London to address the plight of the most threatened marine fishes in the world – the sawfishes. The group, convened by the Shark Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is breaking new ground with the development of a focused global action plan to bring these iconic species back from the brink of extinction.