Extinction threat is our fault — and our responsibility to fix

Sharks, rays, and many other components of marine biodiversity are struggling to withstand human pressures, writes Derek Tittensor

Sharks and their cousins, the rays, pre-date the dinosaurs. They survived the catastrophic mass extinction that finished off Tyrannosaurus Rex and all the rest, as well as the Permian-Triassic extinction that wiped out around 96% of marine species.

Even the more recently evolved shark lineages, such as the hammerheads, have been around for more than 30m years. Yet in just a few decades, a quarter of all sharks and rays have become threatened with extinction. This is our fault, and it is our responsibility to fix it.