Shark Trust links citizen science with pressure for stronger fisheries controls
- Editorial Team SDG14
- 8 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Published on 9 August 2026 at 01:56 GMT
By Editorial Team SDG14
Sharks, skates and rays are caught in fisheries across national waters and the high seas, while many species reproduce slowly enough that depleted populations can take years or decades to recover. Against that background, the Shark Trust has developed a conservation model that connects public participation with scientific evidence and policy engagement. Its work illustrates both the possibilities and the limits facing a relatively small civil-society organisation in a system governed by states, fishing businesses and international bodies.
Established in 1997 and based in Plymouth, England, the charity says its mission is to safeguard sharks through science, education, influence and action. It works on sharks and their close relatives, including skates, rays and chimaeras, rather than treating the better-known large shark species as the whole conservation issue. That broader scope reflects the scientific grouping used in international fisheries policy, where the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations includes sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras in its shark conservation framework.
The scale of the problem is documented beyond the organisation's own campaigning. A 2021 global reassessment reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that 37 per cent of shark and ray species were threatened with extinction. It identified overfishing as the primary threat, with habitat loss and degradation and climate change adding pressure to some species. The finding places shark conservation within SDG 14 (life below water), particularly the goal's concern with marine biodiversity and the effects of unsustainable fishing.
From beach records to conservation evidence
One visible part of the Shark Trust's work is the Great Eggcase Hunt, a citizen-science project launched in 2003. Participants record the empty egg cases of egg-laying sharks, skates and chimaeras found on beaches, as well as egg cases seen underwater. Because the shape and features of egg cases vary among species, verified observations can provide evidence about species presence, diversity and possible egg-laying areas.
The Shark Trust reports that the project has recorded more than 600,000 individual egg cases and received reports covering 49 species in 30 countries. It distinguishes verified records, supported by photographs or specimens, from unverified submissions. That distinction matters because public participation can widen the geographic reach of data collection, but the value of the resulting dataset depends on identification quality, consistent recording and careful interpretation.
Citizen science also gives the organisation an educational route into conservation. Beach surveys turn an otherwise remote fisheries issue into an activity that schools, families, divers and coastal communities can join. The charity's mobile application brings together reporting for egg cases, shark sightings, basking sharks, angling catches and entanglement incidents. These activities do not substitute for fishery-independent surveys, stock assessments or official catch data, but they can add observations, reveal potential areas for further study and build public understanding of species that are often portrayed mainly through risk to humans.
Policy work beyond public awareness
The Shark Trust organises its conservation work around species protection, fisheries management and responsible trade. Its Oceanics Programme engages with regional fisheries management organisations, the intergovernmental bodies through which states negotiate rules for tuna and other highly migratory fisheries. The charity says it scrutinises scientific reports, supports proposals advanced by participating governments, advocates during meetings and monitors implementation and compliance.
That work enters a policy arena in which authority remains dispersed. Regional bodies can adopt catch limits, retention bans, finning rules and reporting requirements, but the content and enforcement of measures depend on their members. Migratory sharks also cross jurisdictions, so protection in one country's waters may have limited effect when the same population is caught elsewhere or on the high seas.
The Food and Agriculture Organization adopted the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks in 1999. The plan calls on states with directed or regular incidental shark catches to adopt national plans and sets goals that include sustainable catches, attention to vulnerable stocks, reduced waste and improved species-specific data. The framework is voluntary, however. Its existence therefore does not by itself establish that national plans are current, complete or effectively enforced.
The Convention on Migratory Species provides another channel for international cooperation. Its Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks is the first global instrument dedicated to migratory sharks and rays. It promotes research, monitoring, information exchange and coordinated conservation, but it is legally non-binding. Together, these arrangements show why non-governmental organisations direct attention not only to new commitments but also to implementation, data quality and compliance.
The tension between protection and managed use
Shark fisheries support jobs, food supply and trade in some communities, and not every species or stock has the same conservation status. The Shark Trust's stated approach combines protection for endangered species with science-based management for populations it considers capable of supporting fishing. That position differs from a universal ban on shark fishing and places substantial weight on stock-specific evidence, traceable supply chains and enforceable limits.
In practice, those conditions can be difficult to establish. Landings may be reported in broad categories rather than by species, catches can be incidental to fisheries targeting tuna or other fish, and biological information remains limited for some populations. Similar-looking species and products that have been processed at sea can complicate identification and trade monitoring. Management is also affected by uncertainty over population size, migration and mortality outside the area covered by a particular rule.
These constraints create an unresolved question at the centre of shark policy: which populations can support managed use, and what evidence is sufficient before fishing continues? Conservation organisations, fishing interests, scientists and governments may answer that question differently. The Shark Trust contributes evidence and advocacy, but it does not control quotas, inspections or prosecutions. Its influence depends on whether public records, scientific analysis and policy arguments are taken up by institutions with regulatory authority.
The organisation's model can be described as a chain rather than a single intervention. Education can expand participation; citizen science can generate observations; analysis can identify priorities; and advocacy can place those priorities before decision-makers. Weak data, delayed agreement or limited enforcement can restrict conservation outcomes. The 2021 IUCN assessment documented continuing global extinction risk for sharks and rays despite the existence of international conservation frameworks.
Further information:
Shark Trust, “Our Work”, supports the organisation's three conservation goals and its description of its science, education and policy approach.
Shark Trust, “Great Eggcase Hunt”, supports the project's history, verification method, international reach and reported record totals.
International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2021 Red List update, supports the global threatened-species figure and principal pressures on sharks and rays.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “About IPOA-Sharks”, supports the scope, objectives, implementation provisions and voluntary status of the international plan.
Convention on Migratory Species, “Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks”, supports the instrument's purpose, scope and non-binding status.
