Erik StokstadSharks are missing from 19% of the world’s coral reefs, the greatest decline of reef sharks ever recorded, according to a new analysis.
The study suggests that overfishing, driven largely by dense human populations and poor governance, has made the ocean’s top predators "functionally extinct" in the waters of eight countries.
But some reefs elsewhere had abundant sharks, suggesting that conservation measures can work."This study is a tour de force," says Nick Dulvy, a conservation biologist at Simon Fraser University. "It's the most comprehensive study that's ever been done to look at shark abundance," adds Ellen Pikitch, a marine biologist at Stony Brook University.
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