The ninth Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) regional expert workshop was held in hybrid mode (in person and online) in Den Haag, The Netherlands from 13–17 May 2025. The goal was to identify and delineate three-dimensional and discrete portions of habitat that are critical to the survival of sharks, rays, and chimaeras (hereafter ‘sharks’), and that have the potential to be managed for conservation. The region covered was the European Atlantic.

This scientific collaboration amongst regional and global experts resulted in the identification of 124 Important Shark and Ray Areas, five candidate ISRAs, and 30 Areas of Interest. Identified ISRAs range in size from small areas of 0.19 km² at depths of 0–5 m (Wembury Bay in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) to large areas of 1,482,885 km² (Northeast Atlantic Corridor which spans waters of the Faroe Islands, France, Ireland, Isle of Man, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and areas beyond national jurisdiction) from 0–1,809 m.

© International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group, 2025