How Many Sharks Are Killed Each Year?

From Global Estimates to Continuous Monitoring

One of the most frequently asked questions in marine conservation is:

How many sharks are killed each year?

More than a decade ago, our research estimated that approximately 100 million sharks are killed globally each year. That study has since become one of the world's most widely cited estimates of global shark mortality and has informed conservation discussions, fisheries management, education, and public awareness around the world.

But producing that estimate also highlighted a much bigger challenge.

Measuring change is difficult

The 100-million estimate was developed because no global system existed to continuously monitor shark mortality.

Instead, researchers had to integrate fragmented datasets, reconstruct trends from multiple information sources, account for uncertainty, and develop statistical models capable of estimating what could not be directly measured.

This challenge extends far beyond sharks.

Governments, researchers, consultants, Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, and businesses are all trying to answer similar questions:

How is this system changing?
Are management actions working?
Where are emerging risks?
Are populations increasing or declining?
What evidence supports better decisions?

Whether monitoring wildlife, fisheries, biodiversity, tourism, infrastructure, climate risks, public health, or community values, organizations often face the same problem:

Too many disconnected observations. Not enough continuous evidence.

From estimates to continuous understanding

eOceans® was built to help solve this challenge.

Instead of waiting years to assemble fragmented datasets into a single estimate, eOceans enables organizations to continuously collect, integrate, analyze, visualize, and report on observations as they are received.

The platform transforms distributed observations into continuously updated maps, indicators, dashboards, analyses, and reports—helping organizations better understand complex systems as they change through time.

Who uses this approach?

The same data infrastructure that supports shark monitoring can also support:

Wildlife and biodiversity monitoring
Fisheries and aquatic resource management
Marine and terrestrial protected areas
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)
Climate adaptation and resilience
Infrastructure and asset monitoring
Tourism and destination management
Public health and community safety
Human–wildlife interactions
Restoration and long-term monitoring programs

Different systems.

The same challenge.

Continuous understanding of change.

Learn how eOceans helps organizations continuously deliver results

If your organization collects observations and needs to transform them into trusted evidence for monitoring, reporting, and decision-making, explore how eOceans can support your next project.

Continuous monitoring. Better decisions.