As restrictions on international trade in shark products under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have reduced the availability of shark fins, maw is increasingly sought as an alternative. Imports of dried maws to Hong Kong alone are now valued at approximately US$280 million annually, with individual large maws fetching thousands of dollars at the point of capture. This growing “gold rush” has transformed fisheries that once treated maw as a by-product into targeted operations, with fishers often discarding the carcass and retaining only the maw. The resulting increase in fishing effort, particularly in coastal and estuarine habitats where croakers aggregate, has significantly elevated bycatch risk for already threatened small cetaceans and other marine megafauna, including sharks, rays and marine turtles, sharing these areas. Impacted small cetacean species include the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) and finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in South and Southeast Asia, as well as snubfin (Orcaella heinsoni) and humpback dolphins (Sousa sahulensis) in Papua New Guinea.

Endangered Irrawaddy dolphin caught in gillnet that catches Blackspotted croakers

Fisheries targeting maw frequently operate with limited monitoring or management, often involve illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and are attracting the interest of organized criminals. These are all issues which, in addition to sustainability, must be addressed at the domestic level in each country. But multilateral environmental agreements, including the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and CITES, which can regulate the take and trade of fish maw, have a vital role to play.  The CSG has been collaborating with other IUCN specialist groups and NGOs to support a wide-reaching strategy to raise awareness of the impact of the maw trade, and identify action that needs to be taken.  The CSG provides expert technical advice on this strategy, which includes targeted engagement and preparation for IGO meetings, including CITES, CMS and International Whaling Commission (IWC), where decisions can help to improve awareness, monitoring and, most importantly, mitigation of bycatch related to maw fisheries.

Most recently, the CSG contributed to a side event at the March 2026 CMS Conference of Parties.  Collaborating NGOs prepared a briefing document, and the CSG contributed to the event with a presentation on the impacts of the maw trade on cetaceans (insert photos here).  During the  meeting, CMS Parties adopted a resolution and decisions recognizing the maw trade as an emerging issue of concern and establishing collaboration with CITES and the IWC to address its impacts. This provides an important foundation for the coordinated international action that is needed, including improved trade monitoring and the development of targeted mitigation strategies to reduce bycatch of small cetaceans.

Alex cetacean presentation at side event

Alex at side event

To strengthen the evidence base for this international action, the CSG has circulated an online survey to its members to better understand the links between demand for croaker maws and fisheries that incidentally capture small cetaceans. The results will help detect bycatch hotspots, inform domestic and international conservation priorities, and identify target species that may benefit from regulation under CMS and CITES. If this approach proves useful and informative, it is hoped that a similar approach will be adopted by other IUCN Specialist Groups to support a comprehensive and coordinated response to the impacts of the global maw trade.

On 6 March 2026, Decree No. 12,868 officially created Albardão National Park and the Albardão Environmental Protection Area, bringing to fruition two decades of sustained institutional, scientific, and civil society effort in defence of the coastal and marine biodiversity of southernmost Brazil.  This represents an important step toward protecting Vulnerable franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) in Brazil.

Group of franciscanas, including a pregnant female (left), a juvenile (middle) and another adult (Photo by Daniel Danilewicz).

The decree, signed by the President of Brazil, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, created Brazil’s largest marine National Park, covering 1,004,480 hectares of marine waters.  Only indirect (‘non-consumptive’) use of natural resources, such as scientific research, education, and nature-oriented tourism, is permitted in the new MPAs. The Environmental Protection Area covers 55,000 hectares, of which 27,564 ha (49%) are coastal terrestrial areas, and 28,419 ha (51%) are marine waters. A buffer zone of 614,008 ha is located adjacent to the National Park and Environmental Protected Area (see map below).  From here on we refer to these combined areas as ‘the MPA’.

National Park and Environmental Protection Area of Albardão, including its buffer zone (courtesy by Rafael Magris/ICMBio).

The creation of MPA was the result of nearly two decades of collaboration between scientists, conservation organisations, and government agencies. Since the region’s formal recognition as a biodiversity priority in 2003–2004, the process brought together over 150 representatives from academic, governmental, and non-governmental institutions across Brazil and Uruguay, and was highlighted in ten National Action Plans covering threatened species including cetaceans, sea turtles, sharks, rays, migratory birds and one dedicated entirely to the franciscana. The designation process was explicitly integrated into Brazil’s commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework, ensuring alignment between national conservation policy and the 2030 international biodiversity targets. The final proposal, developed through successive rounds of technical review and public consultation, was delivered to the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), the federal government agency responsible for protecting, managing, and administering federal protected areas, in 2025 and culminated in the official creation of the protected areas on 6 March 2026.

Franciscanas killed in gillnet fisheries operating off Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil (courtesy of NEMA and Ecomega/FURG).

The Albardão region has been identified as an important reproductive ground for several species of sharks and rays (Vooren & Klippel 2005), as well as an area of elevated bycatch risk for franciscanas and threatened elasmobranchs (Prado et al. 2021; Secchi et al. 2021; Saüt et al. 2024). Given the evidence that existing regulations on gillnet fishing (e.g. Secchi et al. 2022; Claudino et al. 2026) have not been effective (see photo above of multiple bycaught franciscanas), the new MPAs are the most promising ways to conserve franciscanas, sharks, rays, and sea turtles by reducing the unsustainable levels of bycatch, particularly in bottom-set gillnets. The MPA’s location in the south of Brazil on the border with Uruguay, where maritime activities including fisheries are limited, will increase the likelihood that the area can serve as a sanctuary for vulnerable species and support the recovery of depleted fish stocks. Furthermore, the MPA will create ideal conditions for a ‘natural laboratory’ dedicated to collaborative, multidisciplinary, long-term study of the marine and coastal ecosystems of the subtropical western South Atlantic.

References

Claudino R, Secchi ER, Turner J., Cardoso LG (2026). Lack of compliance in gillnet fisheries regulations increases risk to a vulnerable species. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 0:1-16.

Prado JHF, Kinas PG, Pennino MG, Seyboth E, Silveira FRG, Ferreira EC, Secchi ER (2021) Definition of no‐fishing zones and fishing effort limits to reduce franciscana bycatch to sustainable levels in southern Brazil. Animal Conservation 24:770–782

Saüt MM, da Silveira Monteiro D, Prado JH, Pennino MG, Secchi ER (2024) Identifying priority areas using a multispecies approach for the conservation of marine megafauna species vulnerable to bycatch in commercial gillnet fisheries. Biodiversity and Conservation 33:281–303

Secchi ER, Cremer MJ, Danilewicz D, Lailson-Brito J (2021) A synthesis of the ecology, human-related threats and conservation perspectives for the endangered franciscana dolphin. Frontiers in Marine Sciences 8:617956

Secchi ER, Monteiro D, Claudino R (2022) Is the franciscana bycatch in gillnet fisheries sustainable? In: Simões-Lopes PC, Cremer MJ (eds) The franciscana dolphin. Academic Press, Cambridge, pp 201 234.

Vooren CM & Klippel S (2005). Ações para a conservação de tubarões e raias no sul do Brasil. Igaré, Porto Alegre.

64 endangered species were selected to compete and the winner will receive $10,000 and be featured in education campaigns all year. Species range from green stomach fungus and snowbank slime mold to pygmy raccoon and Javan rhino.  The Vaquita was selected as the cetacean representative in the competition.  To vote for vaquita, click here.

Anita Vaquita says: “There are only about ten of us left!  Every one of us calves count and every one of your votes count! Please help us survive!”

Vote and help us make some noise for wildlife. Round one ends March 19

#UproarChallenge

Note that if we make it through this first round, there will be many more opportunities to vote and support the Vaquita and the CSG!  Mark your calendars, and sign  up for alerts through the Uproar Challenge website!

Voting dates

Round 1:

• Voting begins 9am EDT (1pm GMT), March 16
• Voting ends 11:59pm EDT, March 19. (3:59am GMT, March 20)

Round 2:

• Voting begins 9am EDT (1pm GMT), March 20 (MY birthday!)
• Voting ends 11:59pm EDT, March 23 (3:59am GMT, March 24)

Round 3:

• Voting beings 9am EDT (1pm GMT), March 24
• Voting ends 11:59pm EDT, March 26 (3:59am GMT, March 27)

Round 4:

• Voting begins 9am EDT (1pm GMT), March 27
• Voting ends 11:59pm EDT, March 29 (3:59am GMT, March 30)

Final Round:

• Voting begins 9am EDT (1pm GMT), March 30
• Voting ends 11:59pm EDT, April 3 (3:59am GMT, April 4)

Indian Ocean humpback dolphins inhabit shallow coastal waters in the western and northern Indian Ocean. They occur in 23 range states from southern Africa to southern Asia. Populations are typically small and separated and are closely associated with heavily used coastal habitats, making the species particularly vulnerable to fisheries bycatch, habitat degradation, pollution and other human pressures. While research and conservation initiatives exist in parts of the range, effort and capacity remain uneven and large areas are still data-poor.

Figure 1. An Indian Ocean humpback dolphin launches through the surf in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. © Gwen Penry

HuDoNet was established in 2023 to help address these challenges by connecting researchers and conservationists working on humpback dolphins across the species’ range. The network currently includes nearly 100 members from 18 countries.

The Network Action Plan was developed through a structured planning process adapted from the IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group framework. Five thematic working groups — Biological Research; Threats and Solutions; People; Policy; and Network Success — convened a series of online meetings between August 2024 and October 2025 to collate existing knowledge, identify priority gaps and opportunities and agree on feasible, near-term actions.

Rather than attempting to produce a comprehensive species action plan at this early stage, HuDoNet focused on identifying a limited set of achievable, short- to medium-term actions that could be advanced through collaboration within the existing network. The result is a set of thirteen Priority Actions designed to strengthen the evidence base, support practical threat mitigation, enhance community engagement, leverage existing policy and build the organisational foundations needed for longer-term conservation planning.

The Priority Actions include initiatives to expand basic knowledge of humpback dolphin distribution and abundance in data-poor regions, facilitate the analysis and publication of existing datasets and coordinate multi-site studies on key threats such as chemical pollution and fisheries bycatch. Other actions focus on mapping spatial protection measures across the species’ range, identifying synergies with conservation initiatives for ecologically similar species and developing guidance to better incorporate humpback dolphins into Environmental Impact Assessments.

Recognising the importance of social and governance dimensions, the Action Plan also includes actions aimed at strengthening access to behaviour-change resources, testing approaches to education and awareness and improving communication and collaboration both within the network and with external partners.

Figure 2. HuDoNet’s 13 Priority Actions reflect its members’ collective thinking within five conservation themes: Biological Research; Threats and Solutions; People; Policy; and Network Success.

By focusing on coordination, knowledge sharing and targeted action, HuDoNet aims to reduce duplication, amplify existing efforts and support more consistent consideration of humpback dolphins in research agendas and management decisions across their range. The Network Action Plan is intended to be a living document that will guide HuDoNet’s activities over the next few years and provide a foundation for the eventual development of a longer-term, outward-facing Species Action Plan.

The full HuDoNet Network Action Plan is available at HuDoNet’s Action Plan. 

Major research efforts were made this year to delineate vaquita distribution, estimate abundance, and assess health. The two main elements were (i) an acoustic program to delineate current vaquita distribution and estimate abundance that took place from May through September 2025 and (ii) a joint visual and acoustic survey conducted in September to estimate the number of vaquitas and calves seen using expert elicitation and report on their health using photographs including drone measurements when possible (Final Published Report in Spanish is available here, and the final report in English here – versions in Spanish with English Appendices to be added soon). Regarding the first of these elements, intensive research was conducted using passive detectors deployed throughout the areas where vaquitas had been documented to be present in 2015.  This was the first time since 2015 that such range-wide acoustic research had been conducted. More than 8,000 days of acoustic data were acquired between late May and the end of September 2025 and those data will be detailed in a later report.  The second element, the visual/acoustic survey, used data from a grid of acoustic detectors that were regularly retrieved to provide locations of vaquita detections allowing the visual survey effort to focus in areas where the chances of seeing and photographing vaquitas were expected to be greatest.

Two Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) vessels (Figure 1) were each equipped with 3 pairs of 25-power binoculars and carried an expert team of vaquita observers.

Figure 1. The SSCS vessels Seahorse and Bob Barker

Most vaquita detections were within the Zero Tolerance Area (ZTA) and Extension Area (EA), which in 2022 had been seeded by the Mexican Navy with concrete blocks with 3m-high metal hooks designed to discourage use of the gillnets that have driven vaquitas to very near extinction.  We refer to this area protected by the concrete blocks (the ZTA+EA) as the ‘sanctuary area’. The blocks, together with surveillance and enforcement led by the Mexican Navy, in combination with logistical and monitoring support from SSCS, have ensured that since 2022 gillnets have been nearly eliminated from this area.  No gillnet fishing was observed during the September ship surveys.

Our greatly expanded research effort in 2025 was prompted by lower-than-expected numbers of vaquita observations within the sanctuary area in 2024 and the possibility that the porpoises were making more use of favored habitat elsewhere within the Vaquita Refuge, which remains heavily fished with gillnets (Figure 2).  The 2025 research revealed an unprotected area of high vaquita usage northwest of and adjacent to the EA.  Vaquita acoustic detections (not shown in Fig. 2) were also made in favored ridge habitat in the northeastern portion of the Vaquita Refuge, but at much lower levels.  During the September ship survey, the vessel was equipped with an advanced sonar system that allowed scientists to determine whether the seafloor was soft or hard. These measurements will help improve understanding of the habitat types that vaquitas use and will contribute to more refined descriptions of preferred habitat within the Refuge. All of the 2025 data will be used to produce a vaquita density distribution map and provide a new abundance estimate that will be released early in 2026.

Figure 2. Acoustic sampling sites without vaquita detections (black dots) and with detections (orange dots) recorded in September 2025, together with the visual survey effort shown by colored tracklines and vaquita sightings by purple dots. Purple stars indicate sightings with calves present.

Other important and very welcome news is that at least one and possibly two calves were seen (Figure 3).  In addition, one or two vaquitas measured from drone images were estimated to be 2.5 to 3.5 years old.  A drone image taken in 2024 was of a 1.5 year-old vaquita.  Therefore, some vaquitas are reproducing and some calves are surviving through their vulnerable early years of life.  Since 2017 there have been 93 sightings of vaquitas and none of them appeared to be unhealthy.

Figure 3. A 1.5m vaquita mother with her 1.1m calf. Photograph and measurements by Fabian Rodriguez, SSCS and CONANP.

As in the past two years, a training program for local young people was carried out in 2025, giving them valuable opportunities to participate directly in the research and, for many, the unforgettable experience of seeing a vaquita for the first time. This program not only strengthened local capabilities and engagement but also created a sense of pride and stewardship within the community. The research and training efforts were funded by Mexico’s National Commission for Protected Areas (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas -CONANP) and SSCS.

Figure 4. Trainees from San Felipe participating in the vaquita survey.

The 2025 research confirms that vaquitas spend most of their time within the small sanctuary area.  However, the research also shows that at least some individuals range outside this area.  Waters northwest of the sanctuary area are important vaquita habitat. This area between the EA and the western boundary of the Vaquita Refuge needs immediate protection from gillnets to guarantee the safety of these last vaquita survivors, and especially the critically important females and calves.  Expanding the ZTA to encompass the currently known areas of high use would provide the needed protection.

Summary of the Red List Status of Cetaceans

The Red List status and documentation for 93 cetacean species as well as 10 subspecies and 31 subpopulations can be found on the IUCN Red List website and is also summarised on the CSG website here. As of October 2025, of the 93 species assessed, 26% are assigned to a threatened category (i.e. CR, EN, VU), just over half (52%) are Least Concern, and 11% are considered DD (Table 1). The Cetacean Red List Authority has plans to undertake additional  assessments of subpopulations that are known or thought to be at higher risk than the species as a whole (e.g. killer whales, belugas and narwhals, dusky dolphins, Amazon River dolphins).

A Lahille’s bottlenose dolphin surfaces near the shore watched by a fisher. Photo credit: Alan Bonzan

Table 1. Summary information on Red List status as of October 2025.

References

Fruet, P., Daura-Jorge, F. & Vermeulen, E. 2025. Tursiops truncatus ssp. gephyreus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T134822416A280568158. Accessed on 20 October 2025.

Whitehead, H., Barlow, J., Dawson, S.M., Eguiguren, A., Miller, B. & Shabangu, F. 2025. Physeter macrocephalus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T41755A50382216. Accessed on 20 October 2025.

Booth at the IUCN WCC under the theme of Conservation Planning and Action for Cetaceans, featuring core messages about the importance of collaboration.

The exhibition and forum were attended by more than 10,000 people, with numerous presentations, panel discussions, and side meetings taking place in parallel from 8am to 9pm each day. CSG members contributed to sessions on Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs), cetacean conservation, impacts of non-selective fisheries on marine life, connectivity, how the Red List can help protect deep sea biodiversity, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Ocean Initiative, and advancing Marine Conservation through Research, Literacy, and Policy.

Our booth attracted a steady flow of traffic, with an energetic team of local volunteers from the UAE Dolphin Project helping to answer questions and share information prepared for the booth. Materials on display included this flyer featuring the work of the CSG and regional species-specific initiatives for some of the most endangered cetaceans, and this concept note outlining the CSG’s plans to develop a new Global Cetacean Action Plan during the next quadrennium.

While the majority of visitors to our booth were fellow scientists and conservationists interested in learning more about cetaceans and how to incorporate them into their own work, a number of potential donors and policy makers from all over the globe also visited the booth and gained insight into the most pressing conservation needs for cetaceans, and how the CSG and its members and partners are addressing them. Hopefully the connections made during the WCC will lead to meaningful support and collaborations in the coming months and years.

Cetacean Specialist Group members participating in the WCC, from left to right – Andy Willson, Robert Baldwin, Gianna Minton, Liz Slooten, and Ada Natoli.

The booth also served as a meeting point and hub for partners from the Arabian Sea Whale Network (ASWN), the Consortium for the Conservation of the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (CCAHD), and the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin Network (HuDoNet), all of which were well-represented at the WCC and able to promote and strengthen their regional collaborations and initiatives.

The WCC ended with three days of formal voting and meetings for IUCN’s 1,400+ members from over 170 countries. Members voted on new leadership and a series of motions proposed by members, intended to guide conservation action in the 2026-2029 quadrennium. The IUCN as a whole adopted a new 20-year strategic plan and 4-year work programme. Vivek Menon was elected as the new Chair of the Species Survival Commission (SSC), the Commission under which the CSG and all other taxonomic specialist groups operate, and the SSC launched its own Species Strategic Plan 2026–2029.

The booth served as a focal point for regional cetacean conservation initiatives, including the draft Conservation Management Plan for the Arabian Sea humpback whale (left), the Arabian Sea Whale Network (Center), and the Consortium for the Conservation of the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (right).

The Nuremberg Zoo generously provided funding for the booth, CSG member Ada Natoli organized the volunteers from the UAE Dolphin Project who staffed the booth ably throughout the exhibition, and  Juariah Muhamed designed the back wall and front counter of the booth. Juariah also created this 20-minute video/slide show for the screen at the back of the booth, which beautifully illustrates some of the work of the CSG and its partners.

CSG members participated in presentations and panels.

A huge thanks to the local team of volunteers from the UAE Dolphin Project who staffed the booth, which attracted a steady flow of visitors!

Currently 100 of the 135 species of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals are included as species that meet IMMA criteria. 247 IMMAs (76.5% of the total) contain important habitat for at least one threatened marine mammal species. The total area of all IMMAs now covers 51,503,283 km², or nearly 18% of the ocean surface area that has been ‘examined’ by the MMPATF thus far. In addition, 196 Areas of Interest (AoI) have been identified for the e-Atlas. The AoI category features areas with insufficient evidence to be designated as IMMAs when they were evaluated, but were considered to have the potential to be designated once more research has been conducted.

A poster summarising progress in identifying IMMAs and their impact on conservation was presented in June 2025 at the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice.

The Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) initiative has helped strengthen the ‘voice’ for conservation and protection of marine mammals and their habitat globally. IMMA layers are presented on the platforms of Global Fishing Watch and the Proteus Partnership. They contribute to environmental impact assessments, and are used by regional and national governments in South America, Southeast Asia and the European Union for marine spatial planning and in the design of protected areas.

The next region to be examined for IMMAs is the Southeast Atlantic Ocean in 2026.

For more information about the background to the IMMA Programme and the CSG’s role in the work, please see our permanent IMMA page.