Global status and conservation potential of reef sharks

Published on
22. July 2020

Global status and conservation potential of reef sharks

MacNeil, M.A., Chapman, D.D., Heupel, M. et al.

ABSTRACT:

Decades of overexploitation have devastated shark populations, leaving considerable doubt as to their ecological status1,2. Yet much of what is known about sharks has been inferred from catch records in industrial fisheries, whereas far less information is available about sharks that live in coastal habitats3. Here we address this knowledge gap using data from more than 15,000 standardized baited remote underwater video stations that were deployed on 371 reefs in 58 nations to estimate the conservation status of reef sharks globally. Our results reveal the profound impact that fishing has had on reef shark populations: we observed no sharks on almost 20% of the surveyed reefs. Reef sharks were almost completely absent from reefs in several nations, and shark depletion was strongly related to socio-economic conditions such as the size and proximity of the nearest market, poor governance and the density of the human population. However, opportunities for the conservation of reef sharks remain: shark sanctuaries, closed areas, catch limits and an absence of gillnets and longlines were associated with a substantially higher relative abundance of reef sharks. These results reveal several policy pathways for the restoration and management of reef shark populations, from direct top-down management of fishing to indirect improvement of governance conditions. Reef shark populations will only have a high chance of recovery by engaging key socio-economic aspects of tropical fisheries.

Nature 583, 801–806 (2020), DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2519-y

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1 Comment

  1. The Blue shark was once the most abundant specie of shark in the Eastern Pacific. In the mid 70’s and into the 80’s there was a concerted agreement among longliners on both sides of the border; instead of releasing the “rats’ that fouled a majority of their hooks, they would eliminate them! That practice continues to this day..That is exactly what happened to the Blue Shark. If you know anyone who is interested in what happened to the Bonito, or why there are no longer any massive kelp forests in California, please fwd my email. I have logger over 157,00 nm in these waters since 1985..

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