Only One Percent of Important Shark and Ray Areas in the Western Indian Ocean Are Fully Protected From Fishing Pressure

This study maps 125 Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) across the Western Indian Ocean and finds that although these areas cover about 10% of the region, only 1.2% fall within fully protected no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), leaving most species—76% of which are threatened—highly vulnerable to fishing pressure. The research highlights how uneven data availability, especially for deepwater and range-restricted species, limits habitat protection and stresses the need for expanded, better-connected MPAs to meet global biodiversity targets.

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