Governments protect sharks and rays at a wildlife meeting?

In early December 2025, a very big meeting about wildlife was held in a country called Uzbekistan. People from more than 180 countries came together. These people included country leaders, government workers, and animal experts. Leaders are people chosen to help make important rules for their countries, such as presidents, ministers, or officials who make decisions for everyone.

The meeting was called CITES CoP20. It was a meeting where countries talked about how to protect animals and plants from becoming extinct, which means disappearing forever. They discussed how buying and selling animals, or parts of animals, between countries can harm wildlife.

One group of animals they talked about a lot was sharks and rays. Many sharks and rays are caught for their fins, meat, or other body parts. When too many are caught, their numbers become smaller and smaller, until they may disappear forever.

What did the leaders decide?

The leaders agreed to make stronger rules to protect sharks and rays. Some kinds of sharks and rays are now not allowed to be bought or sold at all. This helps stop people from catching too many of them. Other sharks can still be caught, but only in very small numbers. This gives them time to grow, have babies, and stay alive in the ocean.

Why was this important?

Experts explained that many sharks and rays have become rare because people have caught too many of them for many years. Some kinds are close to becoming extinct.Sharks and rays are important because they help keep the ocean healthy. When they disappear, the ocean can become unbalanced. By meeting together and agreeing on rules, leaders hope sharks and rays can recover and continue living in the ocean in the future.