Ocean News

Conservationists, policymakers and scientists have come together to launch a plan of action for three species of Critically Endangered Angelsharks in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Angelsharks: Regional Action Plan formalises what should be done to protect the Sawback Angelshark, Smoothback Angelshark, and Angelshark. This development was lead by The Shark…

Research shows that bleached corals may recover at D’Arros Island and St. Joseph Atoll, Seychelles. “Seeing the changes to the reef was devastating”, begins Clare Daly, former programme director of the Save our Seas Foundation D’Arros Research Centre (SOSF-DRC) in Seychelles. “The sort of stuff that makes you wonder: ‘is…

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) is the primary geographic area for the present project, but as often happens with such projects they can take on a life of their own and grow beyond their original scope. Such is…

Last summer we started doing 52-hour active acoustic tracks with some of our sharks. This was a collaborative effort between Ashley Dawdy, an FSU Biology Honors student who examined the effects of tidal and diel cycles on bonnethead…

The hard work of Dr Ramón Bonfil and his team at Océanos Vivientes has paid off in the form of new protective measures for eight species of rays in Mexico’s waters. According to new Mexican legislation, the protection of species at risk of extinction has been amended – a move…

The identification of two main sawfish hotspots in Costa Rica has made it a key site for the Global Sawfish Search project to undertake surveys using environmental DNA (eDNA). One of the most important hotspots in Costa Rica…

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…

We had a lot of success in our efforts tagging this year. In 2018 we were able to tag 5 bonnethead sharks and 8 bull sharks with acoustic transmitters, but with 20 transmitters for both species, we had…

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…