The majority of the world’s sea snakes are found in the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, with a high proportion of species in Australian waters. As a group, sea snakes, and the impact of perceived threats to their survival, are not well-known or understood. Sea snakes are threatened by a number of human-related activities including bycatch, directed fisheries, habitat degradation and reduction, and pollution. Much of what is currently known about sea snakes is from their capture in fisheries bycatch.

Many species of sea snakes prefer near-shore, shallow waters, including estuaries and brackish water habitats, which are areas that are often highly impacted by coastal development and aquaculture. Furthermore, sea snakes are exploited for their meat, skin and internal organs in many parts of the world, but they are not currently protected under CITES. However, given these potentially serious threats, there has never been an assessment of the conservation status and population trends, and threat of extinction to these charismatic species. Without a thorough assessment of the status of sea snake species, we do not have the appropriate information needed to design, target and implement effective protection and conservation strategies. This proposal to conduct a global assessment of sea snakes will bring together the world’s leading experts, and in making the results internationally available through the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, will support conservation planning and policy development.

This project will help inform fisheries management in Queensland in order to protect their marine resources and employ sustainable fishing practices. Red List species assessments can also be used as indicators of success of management over time.