Reef Sharks Being Pushed to Brink of Extinction, New Research Shows
A major new research study has found that overfishing is driving coral reef sharks rapidly toward extinction, with global declines of 70% and no sharks found at all on many reefs.
Georgia Aquarium was part of the massive Global FinPrint study, published recently in the respected journal Science, which was conducted at nearly 400 reefs in 67 countries using about 23,000 underwater video stations.
Sharks keep the ocean food chain healthy, eating sick, weak animals and keeping individual species from taking over reef ecosystems. When sharks disappear, it sets off a significant chain reaction throughout the ocean.
The new research found that on reefs where sharks were gone, the number of rays had expanded significantly, creating a serious imbalance in the ocean’s food web – which many people rely on, too.
The biggest declines were in five common species: grey reef sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, and blacktip and whitetip reef sharks.
Dayne Buddo, Ph.D. and director of Georgia Aquarium’s Global Ocean Policy, has worked extensively in the waters off Jamaica, where the research found low numbers of reef sharks, especially near the shore. In Jamaica, the issue isn’t catching of the sharks themselves, but the fish they love to eat.
Private and commercial fishing for sharks’ prey – like grouper, jacks and snapper – are popular there. And when those fish disappear, so do the sharks.
Georgia Aquarium is working with Jamaica to establish large marine protected areas, or MPAs.
“The protected areas are working, but they need to be bigger and cover more areas,” Buddo said.
Where those protections are in place, sharks and the fish they eat are slowly coming back. But it will take a while for these fish species to recover.
It’s also an uphill battle to convince local communities, including fishers who hunt using spears and fish pots, to protect sharks.
“There is a tremendous fear of sharks and the overall ocean,” Buddo said. “When sharks go after the fish caught by spear fishers, it causes serious conflicts. Seeing a brother or cousin hurt by sharks seriously damages conservation efforts.
“So we must not just set aside protected areas for sharks – we have to change people’s minds about why sharks matter, and teach fishers how to avoid and protect themselves against sharks. The key is involving people – the public, schools, entire communities and government policy makers – in the solutions,” he added. “That’s where the answer lies.”Tourism offerings, such as shark diving, can help save sharks by providing a valuable alternative way for local residents to feed their families.
Georgia Aquarium’s shark residents are helping change fear to fascination, too, by teaching visitors about sharks’ important role in our oceans.
“When we change people’s minds about these species, it’s a powerful tool to help us protect them,” Buddo said. “We’re making a difference.”
Researcher Colin Simpfendorfer of the James Cook University and the University of Tasmania was the lead author on the study. Read more here.
Driving Coral Recovery: Introducing The “Coral Bus”
The Coral Restoration Foundation™ (CRF™), in partnership with Georgia Aquarium, has proudly unveiled the “Coral Bus”, a cutting-edge aquarium trailer system designed to transport nursery-raised corals safely to their new homes within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
With the world’s coral reefs facing unprecedented challenges from climate change, pollution, and other human-induced stressors, the need for innovative solutions in coral restoration and conservation has never been more urgent. The Coral Bus was developed to address the issue of coral stress during transport – removing as many stressors as possible gives these endangered animals an even better chance of survival in the wild.
The Coral Bus is a first-of-its-kind coral transport technology that closely replicates the open ocean conditions to which the corals are already acclimated. The state-of-the-art aquarium trailer enables practitioners to monitor and regulate water temperature, pH, filtration, and water flow to ensure the well-being of corals during transport, minimizing the stress experienced by these fragile animals while they are on the move.
“The Coral Bus now constitutes an incredible tool for our daily operations at CRF™ offering us year-round transport capabilities that can adapt to seasonal in-situ conditions,” says Jessica Levy, CRF™ Director Restoration Strategy, “By closely replicating the natural environment during transport, this system will help ensure the comfort and well-being of the corals we are moving. By reducing shock to these delicate animals, we are giving them an even better chance of surviving and thriving in the wild. We are deeply grateful to Georgia Aquarium for their invaluable contributions to this groundbreaking project. Their expertise and support have been instrumental in revolutionizing coral transportation, paving the way for a brighter future for coral reefs and marine ecosystems. Now we are just looking forward to hitting the road!”
“Coral restoration and conservation is an on-going mission for Georgia Aquarium, both at home and in tandem with partners, like CRF,™” said Steve Hartter, associate curator of fish and invertebrates at Georgia Aquarium. “We were thrilled to have contributed to the completion of the Coral Bus, which will give CRF™ the ability to expand their impactful work preserving our ocean’s coral reefs.”
The Coral Bus was designed and built by Coral Restoration Foundation™ and Georgia Aquarium with support from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Georgia Aquarium Releases Rehabbed Sea Turtles
On Monday, April 17, Georgia Aquarium released eight rescued sea turtles off the coast of Jekyll Island, GA.
Earlier this year, Georgia Aquarium welcomed 11 sea turtles (four loggerhead and seven Kemp’s Ridley) to their off-site care facility. These turtles will receive temporary care and housing after being found off the coast of New England suffering from cold-stunning – a condition in which sea turtles become weak and inactive from exposure to cold temperatures. The Aquarium’s teams have been providing exceptional care to these animals so they can be released back into the ocean.
While at Georgia Aquarium’s off-site facility, the 11 sea turtles received uninterrupted care from animal care and vet teams. A few of these turtles received advanced imaging through CAT scans at BluePearl Veterinary Hospitals to help monitor their care. Following health care check-ups, eight of the rescued turtles (six Kemp’s Ridley and two loggerhead) were cleared to be released. The remaining turtles were transferred to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, GA where they will continue to receive care until they are strong enough to be released. Staff from the GSTC assisted aquarists from Georgia Aquarium in releasing the turtles back into the ocean. These teams also provided beachgoers the rare opportunity to see these turtles up close.
See the turtles’ arrival posts here: Instagram, TikTok, Newsroom
An increasing number of sea turtles have become cold-stunned due to exposure to the colder temperatures. Cold-stunning causes turtles to become very weak and inactive, similar to hypothermia. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) actively plans for cold-stunning events months in advance – organizing and deploying resources to look for and assist cold-stunned turtles. Georgia Aquarium is part of this multi-institutional effort alongside other zoos, aquariums, and rescue organizations saving hundreds of turtles each year. Nearly all species of sea turtles are now classified as endangered. Some species including Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles are classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. Six species are found in U.S. waters, all of which are listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Georgia Aquarium’s dedicated staff helps not only animals at the Aquarium but anywhere by offering temporary housing and care to animals in the wild. Each year, the Aquarium works alongside other zoos and aquariums across the country to help give cold-stunned turtles temporary homes. These operations help to save many turtles and would not be possible without the generous support of organizations like Turtles Fly Too, whose pilots donated their time, planes, and fuel to get these turtles to their temporary homes. Without the intervention of zoos, aquariums, and partners like National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, these turtles could develop secondary health problems or potentially die.
For photos and video assets of the release please see below:
Photo / Video Credit: Georgia Aquarium
Georgia Aquarium, Taiwan researchers and wildlife officials partner on long-term marine conservation and education project
Georgia Aquarium has formed a unique partnership with Taiwan researchers and wildlife officials to advance scientific knowledge on sharks and rays through a long-term field research collaboration in Taiwanese national waters.
The Aquarium, National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) and Taiwan’s Fisheries Research Institute (TFRI) will work together in a 10-year conservation program that will compile baseline data on multiple marine species living off Taiwanese shores. The research will include placing receivers onto fishing trap nets throughout Taiwan’s coastal waters and acoustic tags onto individual animals and to track where they travel and for how long.
The research will include whale sharks, manta rays, bowmouth guitarfish and other threatened and endangered ocean species.
“This partnership has great potential to teach us more about sharks and rays,” said Dr. Alistair Dove, Vice President of Science and Education at Georgia Aquarium. “Working alongside our Taiwanese partners, our scientists will collect information from acoustic tracking and other technology that will contribute greatly to informing strategies to conserve and protect these endangered species.”
There are about 1,250 species of cartilaginous fish in the world, and 190 species of sharks and rays are found in the waters around Taiwan. Pooling the expertise and resources of the three parties, the research is expected to reveal habitat preferences, mobile behavior habits and geospatial distribution of these species. Georgia Aquarium will provide research equipment such as Baited Remote Underwater Videos (BRUVs), fixed acoustic arrays deployed on pelagic trap nets, and satellite tag tracking.
“This partnership will gather national and international resources such as research vessel and tracking devices or software to share valuable knowledge, experience, and technology on chondrichthyan biology, ecology and behavior,” said Hua Hsun Hsu, Ph.D., with the Coastal and Offshore Resources Research Center in Taiwan. “These studies will provide the public knowledge to inspire awareness, and more importantly, submit recommendations to the government for appropriate policies.”
In addition, Hsu said, the collaboration will encourage Taiwanese fishing operators to release sharks and rays they catch. Taiwan has banned fishing of five shark species, including oceanic whitetip, silky, great white, basking and megamouth sharks, and stronger protections are in place for whale sharks, manta rays and all species of sawfish.
Georgia Aquarium research scientists recently began working with Taiwanese experts as the program was developed. Research scientist Dr. Kady Lyons conducted workshops in Taiwan on how to apply tags. Dr. Lisa Hoopes, Director of Research, Conservation and Nutrition at the Aquarium, will travel to Taiwan this spring to work alongside NTOU and TFRI scientists.
Georgia Aquarium is the only aquarium in the Western Hemisphere providing the unique care and habitat required for whale sharks. For 18 years the Aquarium’s experts have cared for whale sharks, compiling unprecedented scientific knowledge about this little-known species and educating more than 40 million people about the world’s largest fish.
“Most of what we know about these species has only been discovered over the past couple of decades,” Dove said. “We have learned a great deal about whale shark behavior and cognition through care and studies in the Aquarium. With the insight of local knowledge of species and their biology paired with the understanding of local conservation threats from our partners, we hope the long-term research study will allow us to unravel the missing pieces to better conserve and protect sharks and rays.”
Georgia Aquarium is committed to advancing marine conservation and protection through science and education, advocacy, connecting and inspiring millions of people every year to save sharks, rays and other threatened species.
Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Find a Warm, Temporary Home at Georgia Aquarium
Over the past couple of weeks, Georgia Aquarium welcomed 11 cold-stunned sea turtles to their off-site care facility for temporary care and housing. Four of these turtles are loggerheads, an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The other seven, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, are also an endangered species under the ESA and is the smallest sea turtle species in the world. All 11 turtles were rescued off the coast of New England after they were found suffering from cold-stunning – a condition in which sea turtles become weak and inactive from exposure to cold temperatures.
Along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Aquarium comes together to help sea turtles during cold-stunning events. In the cold weather months, NOAA actively plans for cold-stunning events to organize and deploy resources to look for, and assist cold-stunned turtles. Georgia Aquarium is part of this multi-institutional effort alongside other zoos, aquariums, and rescue organizations to save hundreds of turtles each year.
How did these rescued sea turtles make it to Georgia all the way from New England?
Turtles Fly Too is an organization made up of pilots that aid in coordinating and facilitating large-scale relocation efforts for endangered species. They donate their time, aircrafts, and resources to fly cold-stunned sea turtles to zoos and aquariums for treatment and care until they can return to the ocean. The pilots and volunteers at Turtles Fly Too are crucial in ensuring safe transport for these animals.
Georgia Aquarium’s team of expert aquarists and veterinarians performed an initial exam on the turtles upon their arrival. Two of the loggerhead sea turtles received CAT scans at BluePearl Pet Hospital as part of preventative care. BluePearl is a network of veterinary hospitals across the country and has several locations in Atlanta. The Aquarium partners with them to utilize their advanced imaging systems in situations such as these, for large or unique animals. BluePearl generously donated their time and resources to perform these scans, to ensure there are no underlying issues while the Aquarium handles the turtle’s veterinary care.
Georgia Aquarium is proud to provide a home and care for these cold-stunned sea turtles with the goal of eventual release back to the ocean. Without our help, these animals face worsening conditions which can lead to death. It is crucial that we do our part to save these endangered species.
Georgia Aquarium’s animal teams will continue to monitor the turtles as they warm up, provide feedings and any additional veterinary care they may need until they are strong enough to be released. “Georgia Aquarium is proud to provide a home and care for these cold-stunned sea turtles with the goal of eventual release back to the ocean,” said Kristin Mathews, senior curator of animal acquisitions and quarantine at Georgia Aquarium. “Without our help, these animals face worsening conditions which can lead to death. It is crucial that we do our part to save these endangered species.”
The Aquarium will work alongside NOAA to determine when these animals can be released back into the ocean. Until that time, Georgia Aquarium will provide a temporary home and critical care to these rescued animals.
This article was published on: February 1, 2023