UK Shark Study Teams Up with Anglers to Map Vulnerable Species

A three-year research initiative led by Dr Lucy Hawkes, associate professor at the University of Exeter, and Dr Matthew Witt will investigate England’s most vulnerable shark species—porbeagle, tope, school and blue sharks. The project, funded by Natural England, aims to determine where and when these sharks feed, mate and migrate, and to monitor changes in their numbers and distribution across British waters.

The Guardian

The team will work with the Marine Biological Association, the Angling Trust and the Pat Smith Database, which records recreational shark catches dating back to 1953. Anglers, described by marine biologist Dr Francesco Garzon as “citizen scientists,” will report sightings and measurements, providing a data volume that “even if all the shark researchers in England got together, we just couldn’t have the same level of records.” Workshops and interviews with hundreds of anglers from the south-west to the north-east of England are planned to strengthen mutual trust and improve data quality.

The Guardian

Forty electronic tags costing about £1,500 each will be attached for roughly 45 days, while an additional thirty longer-duration tags, each around £4,500, will remain on sharks for about a year. Tag data will reveal survival after catch-and-release and depth-use patterns. DNA samples taken from fin clips or skin swabs will allow researchers to map genetic connectivity between UK sharks and those from other regions, such as France. The project has been awarded almost £1 million by Natural England to support these activities.

The Guardian

• “The UK has a long history of recreational fishing for sharks and big fish like tuna,” — Dr Francesco Garzon, a marine biologist working alongside Hawkes

The Guardian

• “Even if all the shark researchers in England got together, we just couldn’t have the same level of records,” — Garzon, a marine biologist working alongside Hawkes

The Guardian

• “These enable us to reconstruct a shark’s path and tell us how deep each shark has been diving and for how long,” — Garzon. Hawkes, marine biologist

The Guardian