5 ways sharks and rays help the world

Sharks and rays support the planet by protecting carbon-sequestering seagrass, creating micro-habitats through sand excavation, and transporting nutrients to support oxygen-producing phytoplankton. They also drive significant ecotourism revenue in countries like Australia and the Maldives and provide food for deep-sea scavengers after death. However, overfishing and bycatch result in up to 100 million deaths annually, leaving 30% of the 1,200+ species threatened with extinction.

• Tiger sharks contribute to climate resilience by acting as crowd-controllers in shallow seagrass meadows, which prevents overgrazing by animals like dugongs and turtles. This results in denser seagrass, which is capable of capturing atmospheric carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests.
• Large bottom-dwelling rays, including whiptail, cownose, and stingrays, function as habitat engineers by excavating sand for food. This process creates micro-habitats for tiny invertebrates and exposes food sources for seabirds (such as cormorants), predatory jacks, and small reef fishes.
• Deep-diving sharks and rays, such as certain open-ocean mobula rays that dive to approximately 6,560 feet, support the growth of phytoplankton by transporting nutrients from the depths to the surface via defecation. Phytoplankton is the basis for many oceanic food chains and produces 50% of the Earth's oxygen supply.
• Shark and ray ecotourism provides substantial economic benefits. In 2014, shark tourism in Australia generated at least $32.5 million. In 2016, shark divers contributed over $65 million to the economy of the Maldives, where 74% of surveyed travelers visited specifically for diving.
• The carcasses of large rays and whale sharks on the seafloor, such as those observed at 3,937 feet off the coast of Angola, support entire communities of deep-sea scavengers.
• Global populations of sharks and rays are declining due to overfishing and lack of controls, with up to 100 million individuals killed annually through targeted catch or bycatch. Consequently, 30% of the more than 1,200 species are currently threatened with extinction.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). 5 ways sharks and rays help the world. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/facts/five-ways-sharks-and-rays-help-the-world/

Chicago

WWF International. 5 ways sharks and rays help the world. n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/facts/five-ways-sharks-and-rays-help-the-world/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=5 ways sharks and rays help the world |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/facts/five-ways-sharks-and-rays-help-the-world/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndways, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{5 ways sharks and rays help the world}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/facts/five-ways-sharks-and-rays-help-the-world/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }