Chondrichthyans (Sharks and Rays) of the Western Indian Ocean

This Report reveals the main threats facing chondrichthyans in the Nairobi Convention area of the WIO to include: overexploitation and excessive mortality of chondrichthyan (particularly threatened) species; inadequate national-level policy and legislation in most countries; inadequate protection afforded by existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) throughout the WIO; poor implementation of management and conservation measures defined under Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs); high levels of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) chondrichthyan fishing and trade (facilitated by poor levels of compliance with and enforcement of existing regulations); inadequate species-level catch data (across most fisheries) and inadequate biological and ecological knowledge to support necessary management improvements; and limited capacity and awareness for effective chondrichthyan conservation and management.

The Report addresses biodiversity, fisheries, trade and policy within the WIO, with a chapter covering these aspects at national level for each of the ten Nairobi Convention Member States.