Panama is bounded by the Caribbean and the Pacific yet scarce information exists on the status of its sharks and rays. Panama is also host to one of the remnant populations of critically endangered largetooth sawfish. MarAlliance is conducting fisheries-dependent and independent monitoring of fish and working to protect sawfish throughout the country. We conduct research and outreach in several sites along the Caribbean and the Pacific including the indigenous Guna Yala Comarca, where we work with local fishing communities to help them combat invasive lionfish, and assess the status of marine megafauna and small scale fisheries.

Do sharks and rays have bones?
Sharks and rays, both in the Class Chondrichthyes, belong to a distinct category of vertebrates characterized by their unique skeletal composition. In the world of