Global evaluation of shark sanctuaries (2017) CA Ward-Paige, B Worm - published in Marine Policy. Open access here.

In this paper we report results from a global diver survey used to set baselines of shark populations, human use patterns, public awareness and threats in all 15 shark sanctuaries, and contrasted with observations from 23 non-sanctuary countries. These results suggest that shark sanctuaries, as seen through the lens of local experts, may be a helpful conservation tool but likely not sufficient in isolation. There is an urgent need for higher-resolution data on shark abundance, incidental catch, and markets to direct priority conservation needs and optimize the conservation benefits of existing and future shark sanctuaries. 

A global overview of shark sanctuary regulations and their impact on shark fisheries (2017) CA Ward-Paige, eOceans - published in Marine Policy. Open access here.

In this paper I review and summarize the details of existing shark sanctuary regulations, to compare and contrast across all 11 countries, to understand how effective shark sanctuaries may be for protecting sharks. Shark sanctuaries may lower mortality, but understanding the impact of these sanctuaries as a preventative measure is extremely difficult - just because they have not traditionally had high shark catches doesn't mean that would always be the case. One thing is clear, however, that shark bycatch needs to be addressed across the board. I also make the case for immediately implementing "program evaluation" - such as through eOceans snapshot & monitoring studies - to establish baselines and to understand the impact of the shark sanctuaries on sharks and the entire community, including humans. 

Global Population Trends and Human Use Patterns of Manta and Mobula Rays

Christine A. Ward-Paige, Brendal Davis, Boris Worm

eManta was a crowd-sourced survey of the world's expert scuba divers that was designed to evaluate the status of global manta ray populations. This study raised concern about Giant Manta and Devil Rays being wiped out by fisheries. Publication PDF 

CITES outcome- 2013 - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Publications

Other publications relevant to eOceans | eShark 

Ward-Paige CA (2014) The role of the tourism industry. In: Techera EJ & Klein N (eds). Sharks: Conservation, Governance and Management. Earthscan. pp. 155-175. LINK

Brunnschweiller J, Ward-Paige CA (2014) Shark fishing and tourism: a response to Cisneros- Montemayor et al. Oryx. LINK

Worm B, Davis B, Ketterner L, Ward-Paige CA, Chapman D, Heithaus M, Kessel S, Gruber S (2013) Global catches, exploitation rates, and rebuilding options for sharks. Marine Policy. 40:194-204. LINK

Chapman DD, Frisk MJ, Abercrombie DL, Safina C, Gruber SH, Babcock EA, Feldheim KA, Pikitch EK, Ward-Paige CA, Davis B, Kessel S, Heithaus M, Worm B (2013) Give shark sanctuaries a chance. Science. 339: 757. LINK

Ward-Paige CA, Keith D, Worm B, Lotze HK (2012) Recovery potential and conservation options for elasmobranchs.Journal of Fish Biology. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03246.x. LINK

Ward-Paige CA, Lotze HK (2011) Assessing the value of recreational divers for censusing elasmobranchs. PLoS ONE. 6(10): e25609, doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0025609. LINK

Lotze HK, Coll M, Magera AM, Ward-Paige CA, Airoldi L (2011) Recovery of marine animal populations and ecosystems.Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 10.1016/j.tree.2011.07.008 LINK

Ward-Paige CA, Pattengill-Semmens C, Myers RA, Lotze HK. (2010) Spatial and temporal trends in yellow stingray abundance: evidence from diver surveys. Environmental Biology of Fishes. DOI 10.1007/s10641-010-9739-1. LINK

Ward-Paige C, Mora C, Lotze HK, Pattengill-Semmens C, McClenachan L, Arias-Castro E, Myers RA. (2010) Large-scale absence of sharks on reefs in the greater-Caribbean: a footprint of human pressures. PLoS ONE 5(8): e11968. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011968. LINK Press Material