Delineation of Important Shark and Ray Shark Areas (ISRAs) in the Mediterranean & the Black Sea
/in News, Sharks and raysWe are more than excited for the delineation of Important Shark and Ray Shark Areas (ISRAs) in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.This delineation proves that our systematic work and the significant contribution of our scientific collaborators, fishers, Citizen Scientists and our funders, results in the improvement of sharks and rays protection in the Mediterranean!
Within 7 years of our dedication and your collaboration, the data collected in Greece, Cyprus and Libya are already translated into the delineation of 4 Important Shark and Ray Areas in Greece (Thracian Sea, Amvracian Gulf, South-East Aegean, Northern Cyclades), 3 Areas of Interest in Greece (Gulf of Corinth, Dodecanese, Plateau of Troy), 1 candidate area in Cyprus (Gulfs of Akrotiri and Larnaca) and 1 Important Area in Libya (Gulf of Sirte).
However, this is only the first step, since all of these demarcations should contribute to the meaningful protection of sharks and rays.These results are a collaborative effort and we would like to thank iSea team and those who worked on Vulnerable Species, Giorgos Rallis, Vasilis Minasidis, Mary Maximiadi, Dimitra Katsada, Vasiliki Oikonomou, Nikos Doumpas, Martina Ciprian, Roxani Naasan Aga Spyridopoulou, Ioannis Giovos, also a big thank you to our constant partners throughout this journey Dimitrios Moutopoulos, Carlotta Mazzoldi, Periklis Kleitou, Sara Al Mabruk, Adi Barash, Aylin Ulman, Eva Meyers, Nuri Başusta, Joanna Barker, David Alvarado Jiménez, Giuseppe Notarbartolo’di Sciara, Simone, Marine and Environmental Research Lab: MER, Angel Shark Project, Shark Trust, MERSEA, Marine Biology Libya, Tracking Sharks for Consevation, WWF Med and to our funders, without whom our dedication and collection of the necessary knowledge and information would not be possible, OceanCare, SharkFoundation, Shark Conservation Fund, Save Our Seas και GreenFund.
And of course we owe a huge thank you to all the fishers and you who contribute by sending your recordings, devoting your precious time to provide us with information and knowledge and above all for always being willing to call us and meet us in cafeterias, taverns, ports, fish markets and in all the possible places we have been during these years and welcome us to your “homes”, your fishing boats!
We are committed to work even more intensively and give value to what we achieved together so far, because the responsibility for managing all the data and information we collect is great, but the satisfaction of contributing to the protection of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean is bigger!
You can find out more about Important Shark and Ray Areas here.
