- I have the privilege of working with some of the oldest known species on this planet, the sharks and the rays.

These animals, despite sometimes seeming fearsome, are actually some of the most docile creatures you'll meet.

And what we've seen over the last 50 years is a decline in over 90% of populations of large predatory fish in the ocean.

- [Narrator] Dr.

Rachel Graham is the founder and executive director of MarAlliance, a group working to protect sharks and rays.

These long-lived marine animals have late maturity and produce few young, making them particularly vulnerable to overfishing.

- A lot of people think that just because you have 1,200 plus species, they think they abound everywhere.

But what a lot of people don't recognize is that we are fishing far too much throughout the planet and not enabling any of these species to replenish their populations.

The approach that I've helped pioneer is actually working with traditional fishers and we co-create knowledge and science and ultimately conservation action and even policy.

- [Narrator] In partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Network, MarAlliance supports and collaborates with communities whose livelihoods rely on shark and ray populations.

- If you give people opportunities and alternatives that will enable them and their families to survive, they want to do the right thing.

But it takes time, it takes building of relationships, it takes trust.

It means that we're all working together towards a goal that benefits, not just us, but benefits them and the populations of sharks and rays.

- [Narrator] To learn more about the conservation of sharks and rays, visit norcalpublicmedia.org/wildlife.