The conversations that shape the fate of sharks and rays rarely happen in quiet laboratories or out at sea. More often, they unfold in fluorescent-lit halls, behind nameplates and microphones, inside sprawling congress centres where global decisions about nature are made. At the IUCN World Conservation Congress, surrounded by thousands of delegates debating the future of biodiversity, host Isla sat down with SOSF Scientific Advisor Sarah Fowler and Chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Dr Rima Jabado, to discuss how far we’ve come in the race to save sharks and rays from extinction – and what steps we need to take next to ensure their future on this planet.

Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

Find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) here: www.saveourseas.com or follow @saveourseasfoundation across all platforms.

Did you know that there are over 60 species of shark who are luminous? In this episode, we learn all about the sharks who light up the darkness of the deep sea. How are they able to produce their own light? And why have they evolved the ability to glow? We are joined by Professor Jerome Mallefet, an expert in bioluminescence who has studied some of the most fantastical species on earth, including a shark with lightsabers on its back - the velvet belly lanternshark - and the largest known luminous vertebrate, the kitefin shark.

Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

Find us on socials! @saveourseasfoundation

How do sharks locate prey when they’re roaming the open ocean? What does a shark ambush look like? Are sharks capable of hunting cooperatively? And why do cookiecutter sharks take on prey much larger than themselves (including submarines!)? We are asking all these questions and so much more this week as we dive into the fascinating world of shark behavioural ecology to better understand foraging and hunting, with marine biologist and co-lead of the Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab at Florida International University, Dr Yannis Papastamatiou.

Find out what it was like to dive with over 300 blacktip reef sharks at once (in the dark), what sharks and seabirds have in common, and why white sharks might be more social than we think.

You can follow Yannis (@yannispapastamatiou) and the PECLab (@peclabfiu) on Instagram.

You can find us across all platforms: @saveourseasfoundation.

Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast