The Gulf Elasmo Project

Your guide to becoming part of shark and ray conservation in the Arabian Seas Introduction: turning curiosity into conservation Every great scientific movement starts with curiosity – someone who looks at the ocean and wonders what lives beneath. In the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, that curiosity is more than welcome — it’s essential.…

A hidden underwater world The Persian, or Arabian, Gulf is rarely seen as a diving paradise. Most visitors imagine endless heat, oil platforms, and futuristic cities like Dubai or Doha. But beneath the surface lies a living mosaic of warm lagoons, coral gardens, mangrove bays, and sandy flats inhabited by dozens of shark and ray…

In the waters of the Arabian/Persian Gulf live dozens of shark and ray species – the elasmobranch branch of cartilaginous fishes. Many of them remain poorly studied, exposed to bycatch, targeted fishing, and habitat loss, which makes them rare or at risk. Gulf Elasmo Project documents the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of sharks and…

With a focus on shark conservation in the region, the influence of sharks on the ecosystem of the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, and the role of the Gulf Elasmo Project in raising awareness. More than fear, the vital role of sharks When many people think of sharks, they picture dramatic scenes of dorsal fins…

The Arabian Gulf is a cradle of marine biodiversity. Beyond its sandy shores and bustling ports lies a complex underwater realm, home to an array of shark species. If you’ve ever wondered how to better understand and appreciate these often-misunderstood apex predators, the “Sharks of the Arabian Gulf Guidebook” is your perfect companion. Whether you’re…

The Persian Gulf’s depths are teeming with life, yet many of its inhabitants remain mysterious. Enter the Gulf Elasmo Project-an ambitious, collaborative research initiative you can explore in detail at gulfelasmoproject.com. Often shortened to GulfElasmoProject or simply Elasmo Project, this endeavor brings together marine biologists, conservationists, and local communities to study and protect one of…

There are over 100 species of elasmobranchs recorded from the Arabian Seas region and their identification can be problematic! With the support of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and CMS (United Nations Programme for the Convention on Migratory Species) Sharks Memorandum of Understanding, we recently published a guide entitled ‘Sharks of the Arabian…

CHONDRICHTHYANS Sharks, batoids (rays, guitarfishes, sawfishes and skates) and chimaeras form a distinctive group of fishes that are collectively referred to as chondrichthyans. They are distinguished from bony fishes (teleosts) by their internal cartilaginous skeleton and from jawless fishes (Agnatha class) by their true upper and lower jaws. The class Chondrichthyes is divided into two…

Books and reports Jabado RW, Kyne PM, Pollom RA, Ebert DA, Simpfendorfer CA, Ralph GM, Dulvy NK (eds.) 2017. The conservation status of sharks, rays, and chimaeras in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters. Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, UAE and IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group, Vancouver, Canada. 236 pp. Jabado RW, Ebert…