Playa del Carmen, in the heart of the Mexican Caribbean, is home to extraordinary biodiversity and ecosystems fundamental to the survival of numerous species. Among them, the bull shark stands out.Carcharhinus leucas), which seasonally visits its waters, where the females find important conditions during their gestation period.
In recognition of its ecological importance, Playa del Carmen was identified as an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA), an international scientific initiative that seeks to identify and delimit areas essential for the survival of these species.
This recognition is the result of the collection of scientific evidence and the collaboration between specialists, academic institutions and organizations dedicated to marine conservation, including Saving Our Sharks and its allies. Identifying this area provides a scientific tool to guide future conservation actions, strengthen decision-making, and promote responsible management of human activities in the marine environment.
Read the Playa del Carmen ISRA (Important Shark and Ray Area) fact sheet
A triumph of scientific collaboration for the conservation of the bull shark.
This collective effort was strengthened by generating scientific information about bull sharks in Playa del Carmen, with the participation of researchers and allied organizations. Among Saving Our Sharks' contributions, their role in conducting the first ultrasound of wild bull sharks in the area and the development of a bull shark identification catalog which allows for the recognition and tracking of individual specimens:
View bull shark identification catalog
The research published in 2023 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science This study documented the use of underwater ultrasound to identify embryos in free-swimming female bull sharks in Playa del Carmen. This work demonstrated the potential of using non-invasive technologies to study the reproduction of these animals in their natural environment and expand scientific knowledge about their biology.
Read the full article on the use of underwater ultrasound in bull sharks
The photo-identification catalog, for its part, contributes to the tracking of individuals and the understanding of their presence patterns in the region. Together with other research and field observations, this data helps to build a more complete picture of the importance of Playa del Carmen for the species.
Saving Our Sharks is a network of specialists that promotes conservation
The identification of Playa del Carmen as an Important Shark and Ray Area is not the result of the work of a single organization. The official ISRA report acknowledges the contributions of specialists and representatives from various institutions who participated in the collection, review, and consolidation of the scientific information.
Among the collaborators are Dr. Mauricio Hoyos; Director and co-founder of Pelagios Kakunjá and member of the Saving Our Sharks advisory board; Nadia Sandoval Sandoval Laurrabaquio-Alvarado, from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur; Oscar Sosa-Nishisaki and Luz E. Saldaña-Ruiz, from the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada; and Peter Gausmann, from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Deutsche Elasmobranchier Gesellschaft eV.
Also contributing from the Saving Our Sharks team were: Fátima Alejandra Pamela Vázquez Márquez and Luis Lombardo Cifuentes; from the scientific community: Candy López Castillejos, Cecilia Gutiérrez-Navarro, Humberto Anduze and Mizael Palomeque, from Baalche Proyecto Azul; and Emiliano García-Rodríguez, from the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group, within the framework of the ISRA project.
Likewise, recognition is given to the contributions of all participants in the ISRA 2026 regional workshop of Region 4, corresponding to the Atlantic of North America and the Caribbean, whose work contributed to consolidating the information included in the official fact sheet.
Scientific knowledge to protect the future
For Saving Our Sharks, this achievement represents the value of working together with researchers, academic institutions, partner organizations, and specialists committed to shark conservation. Each partnership contributes to a better understanding of bull sharks and to protecting the marine ecosystems of the Mexican Caribbean for future generations.
Contact us to create an alliance in favor of marine conservation and the empowerment of coastal communities:
info@savingoursharks.org – Pamela Vázquez, Director of Sustainability Saving Our Sharks Foundation
