Important Shark and Ray Areas Compendium - Australia and Southeast Indian Ocean region

The tenth Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) regional expert workshop was held in hybrid mode (in person and online) in Adelaide, Australia from 8–12 September 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 Australia and Southeast Indian Ocean. This scientific collaboration amongst regional and global experts resulted in the identification of 158 Important Shark and Ray Areas and 35 Areas of Interest. Identified ISRAs range in size from small areas of 0.12 km2 at depths of 0–20 m (Cabbage Tree Bay ISRA in New South Wales) to large areas of 386,754 km2 (Carnarvon Basin ISRA which spans waters of Australia and areas beyond national jurisdiction) from 0–1,928 m.