Ocean News

If ever I am asked where in West Africa I studied sawfish, I reply “Senegal and The Gambia”. I am usually rewarded with a blank look, at which I hold up my left hand and form the letter…

The shark fin trade is currently the biggest driver of shark mortalities globally, especially threatened species listed under CITES appendix II (e.g. scalloped and smooth hammerheads, silky sharks and thresher sharks). Because of this, we want to ensure…

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to do fisheries surveys on the beach? For many marine and fishing biologists, especially in my country this is our primary fieldwork as in the case for our project funded by…

Diving during summer months has proven to be tough on researchers because of the high densities of ships in the area, but when looking for spiny butterfly rays in Valencian waters (Spain, Western Mediterranean) they have also to…

In the last couple of blog posts, we established that there’s much more involved with sawfish environmental DNA (eDNA) research than simply taking water samples, sending them to your genetics lab, and magically finding out if your target…

A raia-viola brasileira Pseudobatos horkelii é uma das espécies mais ameaçadas no Atlântico Sul, especialmente no Brasil. Com declínios populacionais de mais de 80% nas últimas décadas, o desembarque e comercialização da espécie são proibidos desde 2004 pela…

The Brazilian guitarfish is one of the most endangered species in the South Atlantic, especially in Brazilian waters. With population declines of more than 80% in the last decades, landing and commercialization are prohibited by the Brazilian legislation…

Angola Elasmo Project’s third artisanal fisheries site I will present, S. Braz, is the one which was more difficult to have access to. S. Braz is an isolated coastal village, located in the province of Kwanza Sul Province,…

When looking for spiny butterfly rays in Valencian waters (Spain, Western Mediterranean), the researchers have to confront the fact that during summer months the waters are infested with one of the most famous Mediterranean species: the tourists. I…

Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island that hosts a great diversity of animals and plants culminating in a rich abundance of natural resources. Our island resources are important for our livelihood so appropriate action should be taken to…

Our team was very excited about deploying longlines in the Miskito Cays, given the information from artisanal fishers and the previous landings we knew surely, we would catch some sharks. This field trip was a rough one for…

As whale researchers, often we dream of having some form of x-ray vision superpower to be able to see fully the whales in their hidden world under the waves – and although we haven’t quite yet achieved superpowers…