Western Indian Ocean: A regional compendium of Important Shark and Ray Areas

The third Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA)regional expert workshop was held in hybrid mode (in person and online) in Durban, South Africa from 11–15 September 2023. The goal was to identify and delineate three-dimensional and discrete portions of habitat that are critical to the survival of sharks, rays, and chimaeras(hereafter ‘sharks’), and that have the potential to be managed for conservation. The region covered was the Western Indian Ocean. In addition to the nine-person ISRA team coordinating the meeting, the workshop was attended by 64 experts, including in-person participants (n = 22) and online participants(n = 42). In-person and online participants coordinated proposals submitted by 237contributors having worked across the region. Representatives of each country proposed areas they considered critical for the survival of sharks. In many cases, experts had experience working in multiple countries across the region and/or had already been working collaboratively through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group (SSG) network of members or various regional initiatives (e.g., Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association [WIOMSA]).This scientific collaboration amongst regional and global experts resulted in the identification of 125 Important Shark and Ray Areas, 1candidate ISRA, and 45 Areas of Interest. Identified ISRAs range in size from small areas of 0.03 km2 at depths of 0–40 m (Maroshi Thila in the Maldives) to very large areas of 1,454,950 km2 (Western Agulhas Front which is completely in areas beyond national jurisdiction [ABNJ]) from surface waters to a depth of 180 m. A comprehensive workshop report, along with relevant materials related to the ISRA process, criteria, and regions, can be found atwww.sharkrayareas.org