The diversity of habitat in Gabon’s waters creates a perfect home for a wide range of shark and ray species: from whale sharks to giant manta rays, scalloped hammerheads, and guitarfish. A partnership between the government and conservation NGO Wildlife Conservation Society highlights a new global initiative to save the world’s sharks and rays, launched this World Ocean Day. The first new law fully regulates shark and ray catches and special authorization will now be needed to target sharks and rays, and a second adds a wide range of sharks and rays to Gabon’s list of fully protected marine species. This article is an analysis. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay. The Government of Gabon has passed landmark measures to manage and protect the country’s sharks and rays : over the past decade, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has worked with the Gabon government to identify 69 species in the country’s waters, highlighting the diversity that these measures will help preserve, and this work has resulted in two new laws to properly protect and manage these endangered marine species. Sharks are top, sometimes apex predators, that are essential to healthy marine environments, but grow slowly […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute
