Cayman sharks
Sharks are not popular in the Cayman Islands. Mauvis is conducting the first shark surveys in the area and fostering public support for the animals, leading to protective measures and even a ‘shark beer’ on which islanders could read conservation messages.
Mauvis Gore
Cayman Islands shark project: achieving protective legislation
This project will investigate movements of reef shark species around the Cayman Islands, the effects of attracting reef sharks for shark tourism, and the feasibility of tracking larger, potentially dangerous sharks to provide a real-time alert system at sensitive tourist areas. The occurrence of certain cetacean species in offshore areas will also be investigated.
This project study will greatly assist the Cayman Islands in protecting the key components of their marine biodiversity and in supporting sustainable, economically beneficial use of these iconic species.
More than 90% of the world’s shark populations have been lost over the past 20 years, largely due to illegal fishing. In the Cayman Islands, as the marine environment has been better managed than in most areas, there is the opportunity to ensure that endangered species are not lost. However, there is very little reliable information about local shark species, their populations and the pressures they face.
For this project, our research team will assist the Cayman’s Department of Environment with surveys around all three Cayman islands and will build on the department’s efforts to establish a public sightings scheme for recording observations of sharks, whales and dolphins. To do this, we will use sonic and satellite tagging, baited remote underwater video (BRUV) systems and offshore aerial surveys. Additionally, we hope to expand on local efforts to better understand what species of whales and dolphins use Caymans’ waters as part of their home ranges or seasonal migratory routes.
The project will emphasise collaboration with local fishermen, dive operators and boat owners who will be invited to share their knowledge and report sightings of sharks, whales and dolphins to the Department of the Environment. The project is jointly funded by the UK Overseas Territory Environment Programme, the Save Our Seas Foundation and the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment.
The aims and objectives of this project are to:
- Tag 50 medium-sized sharks with sonic and conventional numbered tags around the Cayman Islands.
- Tag 10 of the less common, large shark species with sonic, satellite and conventional numbered tags during intensive tagging campaigns. Movement of these sharks will be monitored via sonic receivers and via satellite.
- Use BRUVs to study the effects of provisioning at locations around the three islands. The BRUVs will detect any increase in number or activity of sharks as a result of artificial provisioning at the experimental site.
- Deploy additional receivers to supplement the existing acoustic receiver network around the three islands. These will be set at a series of additional locations, notably near tourist sites and where the experimental provisioning will be undertaken.
- Test an alert system harnessing mobile receivers, which provide real-time detections, deployed by Department of Environment staff.
- Conduct offshore aerial surveys.
- Conduct an environmental-economic assessment through desk studies of comparable locations elsewhere, economic assessment of the SCUBA diving industry in the Caymans, and interviewing and contingency evaluation of the potential add-on benefit of shark-watching activities.
- Disseminate results via formal reports to the Department of Environment, scientific papers and popular media.