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Sharks and rays form part of Kenya’s fish landings for a long period with records dating back to the 1980s (Marshall, 1997). Out of a total of 45 species of sharks and rays that have a geographic range including Kenyan waters and have been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 19 are classified as threatened globally in the Red List (IUCN, 2018) amounting to ~ 40% while 9 species representing ~20% are categorised as near threatened. The remainder of species assessed and whose distribution spans Kenyan waters are either data deficient or of least concern in the IUCN Red list contributing to ~25% and ~15% of sharks and rays assessed in the country (IUCN, 2018). These findings are of much concern, and require focused interventions. The process of drafting the National Plan of Action for Sharks and Rays (NPOA-Sharks and Rays) was initiated by the State Department of Fisheries (SDF) in 2014 to comply with the guiding principles established in the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks), in line with the FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries (FAO, 2000). In 2017, the Kenya Fisheries Service (KeFS, formerly the SDF) in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) set out to complete this process. Kenya has now developed a baseline assessment report, which is an important first step towards the development of a NPOA-Sharks and Rays for Kenya. This report has been compiled by team of experts and collaborating organizations with the objective of creating a first step towards developing Kenya’s NPOA- Sharks and Rays.
