Over one-third of all shark and ray species are at risk of extinction. Despite existing protections, populations of whale sharks, manta rays, and oceanic whitetip sharks continue to decline — driven by overfishing, bycatch, habitat loss, and unregulated trade. This November, world leaders will meet at CITES 2025 to decide whether to move these species to Appendix I, the highest level of protection, which would ban international commercial trade and give these ocean giants a fighting chance to re