Today, there are over 400 species of shark left in the world’s oceans. However, oceanic sharks and rays have declined by over 71 percent during the last half-century. The remaining species are threatened with extinction as a result of human activities, including overfishing, plastic pollution, and illegal shark finning. The parallels between this ongoing crisis and the extinction of sharks during the Miocene may feel like déjà vu, except that this time, we know the culprit. Fortunately, we now have the power to prevent it.
