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FUVAHMULAH ATOLL ISRA
(IMPORTANT SHARK AND RAY AREA)
Fuvahmulah Atoll hosts a rich diversity of ecological features for threatened species such as:
Silvertip shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatur)
Tiger Sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier)
Whitetip Reef Sharks (Triaenodon obesus)
Grey Reef Sharks (Carcharnius amblyrhynchos)
Oceanic Manta Rays (Mobula birostris)
Pelagic Thresher Sharks (Alopias pelagicus)
Scalopped Hammerheads (Spyhrna lewini)
what is an Isra?
An Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) is a scientifically identified location that plays a crucial role in the life cycle and long-term survival of sharks and rays. ISRAs highlight habitats essential for:
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Feeding
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Reproduction
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Resting
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Migration
of threatened species.
They are not protected areas by default, but serve as a science-based tool to guide conservation planning, management decisions, and the protection of vulnerable elasmobranch populations.
Alongside Miyaru Programme, Manta Trust and Fuvahmulah Dive School, Pelagic Divers and Nature Friends contributed significantly in the data collection and process of establishing Fuvahmulah as an ISRA (Important Shark and Ray Area).
in collaboration with:
The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) supports one of the world’s richest assemblages of chondrichthyans, sharks, rays, and chimaeras, but this diversity has been heavily eroded by sustained fishing pressure, resulting in widespread population declines and local extinctions.
In response, the Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) process was developed as a collaborative, evidence-based framework to identify and prioritise habitats that are critical for the persistence of these species. Across the WIO, ISRAs have been delineated using a wide range of research approaches and data sources, reflecting both regional ecological complexity and uneven data availability. To date, 125 ISRAs have been identified, spanning more than 2.8 million km², approximately 10% of the region’s surface area, from coastal waters to depths of ~2000 m.
Within this regional network, Fuvahmulah Island represents a distinctive ISRA, characterised by year-round aggregations of large coastal-pelagic sharks and uniquely supported by long-term, in situ observations, including unpublished local datasets that are rarely available elsewhere in the WIO.
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