Endangered Caribbean Reef Shark in St. Maarten’s waters.
PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Insular Shelf has been recognised as an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group's global standard.
This confirms that the island's southern coastal waters are among the marine habitats worldwide that are critical to the survival of threatened sharks and rays.
The Caribbean Shark Coalition welcomed the designation, which covers approximately 72.76 square kilometres from the surface to a depth of 300 metres and overlaps the existing Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area.
The area qualified under three ISRA criteria – Vulnerability, Reproductive Areas and Resting Areas – based on nearly a decade of field research led by Nature Foundation St. Maarten, Beneath the Waves, Operation Swim way Caribbean and partners.
The coalition said sharks and rays are among the world's most threatened animal groups, with more than one-third of all known species considered at risk of extinction because of overfishing, by catch and habitat loss. As slow-growing species that mature late and produce few young, they recover slowly from population declines.
The St. Maarten Insular Shelf supports several threatened species, including the Endangered Caribbean Reef Shark (Carcharhinus perezi), the Endangered White spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari), and the Near Threatened Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier).
Between 2018 and 2024, fisheries-independent research expeditions documented multiple shark and ray species along the island's southern shelf. Ultrasound examinations confirmed late-stage pregnancy in mature female Tiger Sharks, while juvenile sharks were repeatedly recorded, providing evidence that St. Maarten's shallow waters serve as an important reproductive and early-development area.
Important Shark and Ray Areas are identified through an independent, science-based review by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group. While the designation does not provide legal protection, it identifies habitats that are important for conservation, marine spatial planning and sustainable management.
"This recognition is a milestone for St. Maarten and for the wider Caribbean. For years our teams have been in the water documenting pregnant Tiger Sharks, newborn pups, and reef sharks returning to the same reefs season after season. The ISRA designation takes that local knowledge and puts it on the global map – it tells the world that these waters are not just beautiful, they are essential to the survival of threatened species. Our job now is to make sure that recognition translates into lasting protection," said Tadzio Bervoets of the Caribbean Shark Coalition, primary author of the St. Maarten ISRA submission.
The St Maarten Insular Shelf ISRA was developed through the 2026 ISRA North American and Caribbean Atlantic regional process with funding from the Shark Conservation Fund.
