Save Our Seas Foundation
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saveourseas.bsky.social
Save Our Seas Foundation
@saveourseas.bsky.social
1.3K followers 550 following 460 posts
The Save Our Seas Foundation supports marine projects in the areas of conservation, awareness, research and education.
https://saveourseas.com/
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saveourseas.bsky.social
The reefs surrounding D'Arros Island teem with life, a refuge for the interconnected marine ecosystems found here. On this coral reef, a grey reef shark is foregrounded by a school of snappers as it swims by.

📷: Simon Hilbourne
November 25, 2025 at 4:20 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
This week's CITES CoP20 is where NGOs and charities are urging world leaders to make the decisions that matter for the conservation of sharks and rays. The fate of these icons of the ocean's wild frontiers hinges on decisions made in the coming days.
oceanographicmagazine.com/news/global-...
Global shark and ray collapse centre stage at pivotal CITES summit - Oceanographic
WCS urges urgent action at CITES CoP20 as new data reveals sharp declines and illegal trade driving sharks and rays toward extinction.
oceanographicmagazine.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:29 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Hammerheads in rivers? In Cape York’s mangrove-lined waterways, great hammerheads push more than 20 km upstream, surprising Nicolas Lubitz and team, and upending assumptions about where these endangered predators live.
What drives them into these rivers?
saveourseas.com/update/hamme...
Hammerheads as river monsters?
Throughout the first year of our journey to uncover the secret lives of hammerheads and what habitats are crucial to their survival, we have made many interesting discoveries; one of which surprised a...
saveourseas.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:37 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
A changing sky above a changing sea is affecting our ability to follow wide-ranging species across the ocean’s most unreachable places.
Find out more about how changes in the satellite constellation influence tracking networks in Sophie Prendergast’s blog.
saveourseas.com/update/houst...
Houston, We Have a Problem
The importance of satellite constellations for collecting location and archival data from marine organisms and what happens when systems change   Understanding the movement patterns of migratory marin...
saveourseas.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:03 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
A true oddity of the sea, the red-lipped batfish has evolved adaptations perfect for a life on the seafloor. Its pectoral and pelvic fins have evolved into 'legs' that allow it to waddle along the bottom.
November 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
"For species hanging on by a thread, Appendix II is not enough, and even stronger protections — such as Appendix I, which bans all trade — is needed to save them from extinction," says David Shiffman, marine conservation biologist.
news.mongabay.com/2025/11/for-...
For sharks on the brink of extinction, CITES Appendix II isn’t protective enough (commentary)
Sharks are some of the most threatened animals on Earth, with approximately one-third of all species assessed as threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List. These animals are not only older than ...
news.mongabay.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:41 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Over the years, Project Lemon Aid has allowed students to engage directly with sharks in their natural habitat. Students learn what it is to care for their ocean and its inhabitants. Discover what the programme meant to them in Jillian Morris’ blog.
saveourseas.com/update/the-i...
The Impact of Shark Science for Students
I grew up in a small town in Maine and still remember the one person who visited our school to talk about animals — a man with bats. I don’t remember his name or what organisation he worked for, but I...
saveourseas.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:36 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
n an effort to identify and protect critical habitats and feeding grounds for Fiordland’s sharks, Eva Ramey and team are using baited underwater video cameras (BUVs) to survey the coastal ecosystems of Dusky Sound. saveourseas.com/update/takin...
Taking the Bait: Sharks, Prey, and Mysteries Beneath Fiordland’s Waves
During one of the mid-afternoon Baited Underwater Video (BUV) surveys in Dusky Sound, Fiordland, a small school shark circled curiously around the bait canister in front of the GoPro. Then, suddenly, ...
saveourseas.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:19 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Nearly all species of wedgefishes and giant guitarfishes are critically endangered. But with strong science measuring the impact of policy, and new genetic tools available to border officials, there is every chance that these 'rhino rays' can recover.

Infographic by Kelsey Manners Dickson
November 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Save Our Seas Foundation
lottesdahlmo.bsky.social
Went out trying to catch and tag Chimaera monstrosa, ghostsharks, for the #SOSF_GhostTrack / #NFR_PUFFINS projects. Didn’t manage to catch any unfortunately, but we did catch a beautiful blackmouth catshark 🦈 We’ll try again next week!
@saveourseas.bsky.social
@bergentelemetry.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 6:58 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Genetic tests have shown that Malpelo Island’s eagle rays have links to the Indo-Pacific, highlighting their vast migrations and the vital role this remote sanctuary plays in global marine networks. More below in Laura González Gordon’s blog.
saveourseas.com/update/uncov...
Uncovering hidden links between the Indo-Pacific and Malpelo Island: what eagle ray genetics taught us
How it all began   When we first started this project in 2024, we decided to study the spotted eagle ray in Malpelo Island, a vulnerable species that wasn’t well studied in the region, but still plays...
saveourseas.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:12 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Fear and reverence for sharks and rays shape coastal life in Cameroon. Cyndi Karel Ngnah is using community stories and animation to shift perceptions, helping children see these animals not as threats but as key components for ocean health.
saveourseas.com/update/chang...
Changing perceptions of sharks and rays in Cameroon
When 35-year-old fisherman Robert Innocent casts his nets in Kribi, he looks for signs of sharks and rays. To him, they are a promise of abundant fish. To scientists, they are guardians of the ocean. ...
saveourseas.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
The cownose ray uses electroreception to search sandy seafloors for burrowing prey, like clams. Then, using its long pectoral fins, it stirs up the sediment and uncovers its prey. It grabs it with its mouth, crushing it between its strong, plate-like teeth.

📷: Nick Filmalter
November 20, 2025 at 3:59 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Sharks have mastered the ocean for more than 400 million years, yet the threat that they may lose much of their remarkable diversity exists.
If current extinction rates hold, sharks with the most distinctive bodies and ecological roles are most at risk.
oceanographicmagazine.com/news/vanishi...
Vanishing variety: "Unusual" sharks face highest extinction risk - Oceanographic
If current extinction rates hold, Earth’s sharks may soon lose their diversity, threatening the delicate balance of marine ecosystems.
oceanographicmagazine.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:34 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Largely understudied, the lesser guitarfish is finally getting its moment. Early acoustic tracking data show strong local residency, but a few individuals disrupt this trend entirely, challenging assumptions about this South African endemic. Read Taryn Murray’s blog.
saveourseas.com/update/from-...
From the shadows to the spotlight: Story of the lesser guitarfish
South Africa is a global hotspot for shark and ray species, boasting 191 species of which 34 are endemic – only being found in South African waters. Of these is the lesser guitarfish Acroteriobatus an...
saveourseas.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:48 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Following a blanket shark fishing ban in Timor-Leste’s artisanal fisheries, Adriana Gonzalez Pestana is working alongside fishers to help create policies that protect both local livelihoods and vulnerable species.
saveourseas.com/update/livin...
Living with Sharks and Rays in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste is a small, extraordinarily biodiverse nation with artisanal, community-based fisheries. Each community typically operates few vessels (10–30) from beach landing sites; most are wind- or p...
saveourseas.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:24 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Mantis shrimp eyes are absolute marvels of evolution! They are able to see a spectrum beyond human vision. While we have only three types of colour-receptive cones (red, green and blue), mantis shrimp have SIXTEEN colour-receptive cones! They are able to see colours we don't even know exist. 🤯
November 17, 2025 at 5:27 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
In a study by the University of Exeter, nearly 70 blue, porbeagle and tope sharks were tagged to track their behaviour after being caught recreationally using the catch-and-release technique. The result: most sharks survived after being released.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Fewer shark deaths when fishing guidelines followed - study
Researchers tagged sharks caught in England, Scotland and the Channel Islands for the project.
www.bbc.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
After a storm-battered season, there were few chances to track the giant Greenland shark in Skagerrak. Despite this, key progress still emerged for Gustav Hellström and team as cross-border teamwork and fresh receiver data offered hope.
saveourseas.com/update/waiti...
Waiting for Calm Seas
The field season has come to an end, though not quite in the way we hoped. It has been one of the windiest seasons I can remember, with weeks spent on standby along the Swedish west coast waiting for ...
saveourseas.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:08 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Endangered ‘shark rays’ have been rescued from bycatch to be tagged and released on Taiwan’s rugged east coast. Through this, Kevin Weng and team have discovered their nightly dives, which may be the key to pulling a vanishing species back from the brink.
saveourseas.com/update/migra...
Migrations of the shark ray (aka bowmouth guitarfish) in Taiwan
Rhinopristiforms are demersal elasmobranchs that live in near coast environments where people do most bottom-contact fishing (e.g., trawl, gillnet). Most species including Rhynchobatus immaculatus (Ta...
saveourseas.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:58 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Fisheries kill around 265,000 rays each year, researchers estimate - mostly in small-scale fisheries. Risk is highest in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Peru, and Myanmar. Reef manta rays are particularly vulnerable to overfishing: their rate of reproduction is slow.

📷: Jasmine Corbett
November 14, 2025 at 4:54 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Along India’s coastline, a rising wave of women is healing our oceans, moving beyond the margins of shore-bound roles traditionally ascribed to.
www.vogue.in/content/once...
Indian women are studying sharks, restoring mangroves and rebuilding our relationship with the sea
Along India’s coastline, a rising wave of women is healing our oceans, moving beyond the margins of shore-bound roles traditionally ascribed to them
www.vogue.in
November 14, 2025 at 1:06 PM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Ever wondered how the brain of a deep-sea shark differs from those of reef or pelagic species?
By mapping neural variation in their brains, Kara Yopak and the ZoMBiE Lab show how these predators sense, learn, and adapt, demonstrating striking intelligence.
saveourseas.com/update/the-z...
The ZoMBiE Lab: Can we use the brain to unlock behavior?
Although they sometimes have a reputation for being pre-programmed, “eating machines”, elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) are capable of a wide range of complex behaviors and have relative brain...
saveourseas.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:30 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Rihab Louhichi and team are using underwater cameras to study sharks and rays in their natural habitat for the first time in Tunisia’s Gulf of Gabès. So far, they have found precious nursery grounds and new hope for the conservation of these threatened species.

saveourseas.com/update/betwe...
Between nets and cameras: exploring the hidden life of sharks and rays in the Gulf of Gabès
For many years, my encounters with sharks and rays in the Gulf of Gabès were limited to the landing sites. There, I only saw them dead, brought in by fishing nets. That was my first connection with th...
saveourseas.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:02 AM
saveourseas.bsky.social
Hammerhead shark numbers have been reduced worldwide, with some populations down by 98%. But in Australia, Nicolas Lubitz and team are uncovering hotspots where great hammerheads, scalloped hammerheads, and winghead sharks still exist in relatively high numbers.
saveourseas.com/update/37520/
Finding a hammer in a haystack
Hammerhead sharks, like the great hammerhead and scalloped hammerhead are critically endangered globally. In some areas their populations may have declined by up to 98%. Their susceptibility to fishin...
saveourseas.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:03 PM