Shark Focus

Shark Focuswww.sharktrust.orgTHE MAGAZINE OF THE SHARK TRUSTIssue 46 March 2013CITES victory!Regulation for highly-traded speciesFreshwater elasmobranchsKeeping your friends closeBasking in the darkSharks in the Mediterraneanplusall your Shark Trustand EEA newsSupporting the

CAMPAIGN CORNERSuccess at CITES CoP 2013:Bangkok, ThailandHousekeeping“I don’t want to make money: I want to make a difference”.Lady GagaThis issue I am going to bang the drum for HMRC……..now before everyone gasps in horror that I am a cheerleader for Hector the Tax Inspector, this is to let everyoneknow about the new rules on gift aid.HMRC have changed the form and the method in whichcharities can now claim. Those of you who signed a gift aidform before 1st January 2013 have the old declaration. Theprimary changes mean that donors must now confirm thatthey will pay enough tax to cover all donations they intendto make that year - excluding VAT and Council Tax, yes itactually stipulates this wording, and you will need to becertain you fit the criteria before signing. They do say they willbe checking!If you have joined the Trust or signed a gift aid form after 1stJanuary your form is valid for whichever length of time youselected. If you signed as a one off donation then you willhave to fill another form out when you renew or donate again.If you checked the box for future donations your declarationstands until you cancel this. If your tax status changes or youmove house you will need to let the Trust know.If you are unsure which form you signed or have notyet signed up so we can claim on your donations &subscriptions, please visit the website and download aSee p.9 for more detailsClockwise, from top left: Great Hammerhead Shark © Neil Hammerschlag, Oceanic Whitetip Shark © Morten Bjorn Larsen, Giant Manta Ray © Steve Jones and Porbeagle Shark © Shark Conservation Society.form. Or contact me glenys@sharktrust.org and I willhappily send you a new form out.HMRC will also introduce the Gift Aid Small DonationScheme, or GASDS, from April 2013. This allows charitiesto claim a top-up payment on cash donations of £20 orless without the need to collect Gift Aid declarations up to avalue of £5000 per year.The GASDS will be ideal for small cash donations received incollection boxes or bucket collections at events. We will stillneed to make Gift Aid claims in respect of other donations forwhich there is a Gift Aid declaration in the same tax year, forexample, on regular donations received from supporters. Thisis called the ‘matching rule’: every £10 of donations claimedunder GASDS must be matched with £1 of donations claimedunder Gift Aid in the same tax year.So we are nearly at the end of the financial year and I amin the throes of finalising the accounts ready for audit.Considering the economic situation, the Trust has continuedto receive support from all of our members, not just with yoursubscription but with added donations throughout the year, andwe are extremely grateful for this. Hopefully the Spring/Summerwill bring not only a better weather forecast but fingers crossedfor a warm front across the financial forecast also.Glenys Heafield,Company Secretary/Head of Finance & AdministrationSupporting the European Elasmobranch AssociationThe Shark Trust4 Creykes Court, The Millfields, Plymouth PL1 3JBTel: (+44) (0)1752 672008/672020 Fax: (+44) (0)1752 672008Email: enquiries@sharktrust.orgWebsite: http://www.sharktrust.orgShark FocusIssue 46 March‐ 2013Features4 Freshwater elasmobranchs6 Keeping your friends close12 Basking in the dark14 Mediterranean sharks16 The Shark Trust Angler Recording Project18 The System Works: South Africa follow-up19 New Shark Trust Project: Shark Fisheries inNorthern EnglandRegulars8 Shark Trust and World Shark News9 Policy page10 Member’s pages11 Juniors/fundraising19 Upcoming eventsEdited by the Shark Trust©Shark Trust 2013Shark Focus is published three times a year in March, July and November. Copy date forthe next issue is 31st May 2013. Shark Focus is copyrighted and therefore those wishingto reproduce articles must first contact the Shark Trust. The views and opinions expressedby the authors in Shark Focus are not necessarily those of the Shark Trust.Established in 1997, the Shark Trust works to advance the worldwide conservationof sharks through science, education, influence and action. The Trust is the UKmember of the European Elasmobranch Association and currently provides theEEA’s secretariat services.Trustee/Directors: Richard Peirce (Chair), Sue Bates, George Bowser, Roger Covey, Paul Cox,Sarah Fowler OBE, Heather Koldeway, John Nightingale and Christopher Pringle.Patrons: Nick Baker, John Boyle, Leonard Compagno, Marc Dando, Bob Earll, Nigel Eaton,Ian Fergusson, Mariella Frostrup, Loyd Grossman, John Gummer MP, Monty Halls, Martha Holmes,Kate Humble, Sir David Jason OBE, Gordon Ramsay OBE, Simon Rogerson, Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch,Michaela Strachan and Valerie TaylorThe Shark Trust is supported by: the Co-operative, Defra, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation,the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Pew Foundation, Save our Seas Foundationand the Tubney Charitable Trust.Design: Fluke Art. www.flukeart.comThe Great Hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran, added to CITES Appendix II in 2013. © Neil Hammerschlag.EDITORIALLast Autumn I attended an evening organised by Fauna & Flora International (FFI)which debated the question “Can we save our seas?”.The one hour allowed didn’t begin to do justice to the question or to the eminent panelwhich had been assembled for the discussion (Charles Clover, Prof. Callum Roberts,Will Anderson, and Dr. Tiago Pitton). A whole day, or better still a weekend, wouldhave produced a valid debate and those attending would have left having gained avaluable insight into this complex and vitally important question.The session should have been chaired by the Rt. Hon. David Miliband MP but he wasdelayed in the Commons. Luckily Miliband did turn up before the debate ended andhe observed there were really three questions – not just “Can we save our seas?”,but also “could we?” and “will we?”.The same three questions could appropriately be applied to the world’s sharks, andall three answers could be provided by the one country which consumes 95% of theworld’s fin production – China.A ‘Fins Naturally Attached’ (FNA) victory in Europe is of enormous significance andthe Shark Trust can justifiably be proud of the part it has played in this process fromthe outset. However the acid test of the effectiveness of European FNA policy will bewhether it reduces the tonnage of fins being harvested every year. If it simply pushesthe catching effort somewhere else, and Chinese consumption remains the same orincreases, then sadly the effective value of FNA will be questionable. Only time willtell and if FNA doesn’t reduce Chinese consumption it will clearly demonstrate whereour efforts have to be directed in future.I now live in South Africa for four months every winter which means I get in somegreat shark diving, and see shark ecotourism in action.In mid January I was asked to go to Gansbaai (near Dyer Island) to give a talk. I tookthe opportunity of interviewing tourists after they had been cage diving with WhiteSharks. I interviewed seven people and all had been hugely impressed by being upclose to these beautiful animals. Three people had conquered their fear of sharks andwent away eager to have more shark encounters; only three of the seven were divers,and two of the non divers said the experience had convinced them to take up diving;and all seven were keen to get involved in marine/shark conservation as a result ofthe experience.I understand the concerns of those who worry about shark ecotourism in general, andcage diving in particular, but on the day I did the interviews it was all positives, nonegatives.Go well and stay safe.Richard PeirceChairman2 www.sharktrust.org Shark Focus 46 Shark Focus 46 www.sharktrust.org 3

Freshwater elasmobranchs:why so few Species?DistributionFreshwater elasmobranchs are found exclusively in subtropicaland tropical rivers and lakes, where prolonged isolation has ledto speciation and specialisation to freshwater habitats.The obligate freshwater South American stingrays [seeglossary] belonging to the family Potamotrygonidae have beenisolated in freshwater for the longest (approximately 25 millionyears) and are consequently the best suited to freshwater– as well as being the most diverse group of freshwaterelasmobranchs (with 30+ species). These are the beautifulstingrays highly prized in the tropical fish trade (image 2), andalthough increasingly difficult to obtain from South Americadue to protective legislation, many of these species are nowraised in Southeast Asia to supply the pet trade.The obligate freshwater species native to Southeast Asia arethe whiprays and include the White-edge Freshwater WhiprayHimantura signifier (image 3) and the Freshwater Whipray H.chaophraya (image 4), often seen and eaten in wet marketsin Thailand – with the latter being the largest freshwater fishin the world. Despite this, the biology of these species remainspoorly understood.The few species of euryhaline elasmobranchs aredistributed more globally. Perhaps the most well-known is theBull Shark Carcharhinus leucas which has been recorded fromNorth and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Australiaand Asia and is capable of living for years in either fresh orsaltwater – although they are not capable of completing theirreproductive cycle in freshwater.Like Potamotrygonidae, sawfish belonging to the familyPristidae are well adapted to freshwater. A couple of speciesof sawfish (Pristis microdon and P. perotteti – image 5) havebeen documented living in freshwater in Australia, SoutheastAsia, as well as in Central and South America. Further north,the Atlantic Stingray Dasyatis sabina is also capable of livingin fresh or saltwater. In fact, permanent populations ofD. sabina are found in the St. Johns River system in Florida,USA, making D. sabina the only freshwater elasmobranchnative to North America (image 6). Interestingly, D. sabina mayalso be the only elasmobranch species capable of reproducingin both freshwater and saltwater.EvolutionThe ability to live in freshwater has evolvedseveral times. Indeed, in the past, when theearth was considerably warmer, freshwaterelasmobranchs were much more common. Themajority of freshwater species are batoids (rays,skates and sawfish) with estimates placing~84% of species known to enter freshwater inthe stingray order Myliobatiformes 3 . Within theMyliobatiform group two families, Dasyatidae andPotamotrygonidae, account for 30% and 52%of all freshwater species respectively. Only 10%of shark species can tolerate excursions intofreshwater and many of these can only toleratefreshwater for short periods.Main image: One of the few euryhaline species, theBull Shark Carcharhinus leucas. © Albert Kok.Image 2: Ocellate River Stingray Potamotrygonmotoro. © Steven G. Johnson.Image 3: White-edge Freshwater Whipray Himanturasignifer and other fish species at a wet market inThailand. © Dr James S. Ballantyne.David I. Fraser and James S. BallantyneDepartment of Integrative Biology –University of Guelph, Ontario, CanadaElasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays)are usually viewed as strictly marine buta few species, less than 5%, actually livein freshwater 1 . Even fewer, just five-tosixspecies, can live in both marine andfreshwater environments 2 , and are known aseuryhaline species. The focus of this articlewill be the challenges, constraints andadaptations of elasmobranchs in freshwater.23OsmoregulationOne of the main problems with living in freshwater is theosmotic difference with seawater. Marine elasmobranchsare osmoconformers, exhibiting a similar osmotic pressurein their body fluids as the environment in which they live.This osmotic pressure is largely due to the accumulationof urea; when elasmobranchs move into freshwater theyneed to reduce their internal osmotic pressure to minimizewater uptake. The two general means by which urea levelscan be altered in elasmobranchs are through changesto urea biosynthesis and urea excretion. As part of this,the Ornithine urea cycle – the major pathway by whichelasmobranchs produce urea – is greatly reduced inobligate freshwater species.Other species, such as D. sabina, increase the volumeof urine excreted, with urea being a major componentof the urine. Unfortunately, some – perhaps many –elasmobranch proteins require urea for optimal function,so adapting to freshwater is difficult for many species.Only the South American stingrays have managed toeliminate the need for urea. In fact, they have entirelylost the capacity to make large amounts of urea,preventing them from living in seawater.In seawater, elasmobranchs excrete the largeamounts of salt entering their bodies with a specialisedgland called the rectal gland. This gland produces asalt-rich fluid that enters the rectum and is voided.In freshwater, the low salt content of the environmentmakes the rectal gland of little use and it is substantiallyreduced in size in obligate freshwater species. Euryhalinespecies need to keep a functional rectal gland even infreshwater for when they return to seawater.The kidneys of marine elasmobranchs are complexwith many loops thought to help in the recovery of ureafrom the urine. In the exclusively freshwater SouthAmerican stingrays the kidney is much simpler, as fewerloops are needed for urea recovery. This anatomicalchange also prevents this group from living in seawater.Sensory BiologyAnother problem with changing from seawater tofreshwater involves one of an elasmobranch’s mostimportant senses: its electrosensing organs, theampullae of Lorenzini, must adapt to the differentconductivity of seawater and freshwater. The conductivityof seawater is much greater than that of freshwater sothe capacity to use this sense in freshwater is reduced.One adaption exhibited by freshwater species studiedto-date is the placement of ampullae much closer tothe surface of the skin to improve reception. It maybe difficult or impossible to change the structure ofthe ampullae when moving between freshwater andseawater.4ReproductionReproduction in freshwater is also an obstacle for manyelasmobranchs. Many marine elasmobranchs lay eggs(mermaid’s purses) which are highly permeable. Inseawater the osmotic gradient is not large enough tobe a problem for the embryo. In freshwater, however,the gradient is very large and would require significantenergy expenditure from the embryo to maintainosmotic pressure. Perhaps because of this problem, allfreshwater elasmobranchs give birth to live young withthe mother dealing with the salinity problems in the earlyembryonic stages.Another reproductive problem is the mechanismelasmobranchs use for sperm transfer. Allelasmobranchs use internal fertilization and some usesiphon sacs filled with seawater to flush sperm into theuterus of the female. Shark sperm suffers from the sameproblem as embryos in dealing with the large osmoticdifference with freshwater. The only elasmobranchs tosuccessfully reproduce in freshwater are batoids that donot use ambient water to flush sperm into the female.Thus there are numerous physiological problems forelasmobranchs entering freshwater; for a more detailedphysiological analysis of obligate freshwater species seeBallantyne and Robinson (2010) 4 , and for euryhalinespecies see Ballantyne and Fraser (2013) 2 .ConclusionCompared to other groups of fishes, freshwaterexcursions are relatively rare in extant elasmobranchs.The reasons for this span all aspects of elasmobranchphysiology, including sensory biology, reproduction andosmoregulation. Despite this, some species can tolerateand even thrive in freshwater, with greater physiologicalstudy required to fully understand the unique biology offreshwater elasmobranchs.Image 4: Freshwater Whipray Himantura chaophraya© FishSiam.Image 5: Freshwater Pristis sp. at a tropical fish supplier inSoutheast Asia. © Dr James S. Ballantyne.Image 6: Atlantic Stingray Dasyatis sabina. © NOAA.6GlossaryEuryhaline species: can live in both marine and freshwaterenvironments.Obligate freshwater species: found only in freshwater,incapable of adapting to saltwater.Osmoconformers: species which maintain internal salinity sothat it is always equal to surrounding seawater.Osmotic pressure: the pressure which needs to be appliedto a solution to prevent the inward flow of water across asemipermeable membrane (i.e. skin).Biosynthesis: the formation of chemical compounds by a livingorganism.Ornithine urea cycle: a cycle of biochemical reactionsoccurring in many animals that produces urea from ammonia.Organisms that cannot quickly remove ammonia must convert itto another substance, like urea, which is much less toxic.Ampullae of Lorenzini: a network of jelly-filled pores whichdetect electric fields in water.Extant: a term referring to species, genera and families that arestill in existence (as opposed to extinct)References1. Helfman, G.S., Collete, B.B., and Facey, D.E. (1997). Malden, MA:Blackwell Science.2. Ballatyne, J.S., and D.I. Fraser. (2013). New York, NY: Academic Press.3. Martin, R.A. (2005). J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. UK. 85: 1049-1073.4. Ballantyne, J.S., and J.W. Robinson. (2010). J. Comp. Physiol. 180B:475–493.54 www.sharktrust.org/s&rmorphology Shark Focus 46Shark Focus 46 www.sharktrust.org/s&rmorphology 5

KEEPING YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE…Understanding social behaviour in sharksDr. David JacobyBehavioural Ecology Group – Marine Biological AssociationWhat determines why sharks group – or aggregate – together? An apparently simple question youmight think! But a question that has not only driven my research for the last five years but thathas also raised many more questions than answers. Can individual sharks socially recognise oneanother? Does genetic relatedness influence aggregation? What role does environment or habitatplay? Ultimately, these are all important questions for anyone attempting to help protect areaswhere sharks are known to aggregate or to simply gain a better understanding of the behaviouralstrategies driving these beautiful, but elusive animals.For better or for worse, shark behaviour is continuously under scrutiny from the world’s mediaand yet there remain huge gaps in our knowledge of how and why many species of shark behavein the way they do. Specific knowledge of behavioural patterns, while often extremely difficult todetermine, is becoming increasing important for scientists and marine conservationists in thefight to protect these animals from overfishing, by-catch and the illegal trade in shark products.Keep your siblings close but your friends closerThe study revealed some interesting patterns in socialbehaviour: social networks, determined by socialpreferences amongst sharks, were only observed duringtrials where individuals were familiar with one another.Indeed, trials containing sharks that were familiar, onaverage, formed more resting groups during the study.These groups showed stronger social bonds (i.e. socialinteractions lasted longer) than the unfamiliar groupswhere individuals were more content to rest alone [seegraph 1, below].Graph 1: Mean association index, or the strength of social bondsbetween familiar and unfamiliar sharks. © David Jacoby.Aggregation and OverfishingAggregation is a behaviour that is shared by manyspecies of shark and ray and, like many teleost fishes,renders them much more susceptible to overfishing dueto the large numbers of individuals that can be removedin one go. Unlike teleost fishes however, sharks growvery slowly, are late to reach maturity and give birth toa small number of well-developed young. As such, thesimultaneous removal of large numbers of aggregatingsharks can have a devastating and long-term impacton the local population – in addition to ecosystemconsequences further down the food chain resultingfrom the removal of so many predators. I believe that itis extremely important to get a better understanding ofthe mechanisms driving these aggregations in order topredict where and when they are likely to occur.While it is virtually impossible to scientifically testtheories about how and why large, wide-ranging sharksgroup together in the wild, there are some specieswhich are much more amenable to captive studies andthese species can begin to inform possible motivesin larger sharks. Using groups of juveniles of small,benthic species such as the Smallspotted CatsharkScyliorhinus canicula or the Whitespotted BambooShark Chiloscyllium plagiosum – both of which arerelatively easy to rear and breed in captivity – theoriesabout social interactions, familiarity and kinship canbe fully explored. My recently completed research withthe Behavioural Ecology Group at the Marine BiologicalAssociation of the UK and the Animal Behaviour Groupat the University of Exeter has been devoted to getting tothe bottom of some of these challenging questions, usinggroups of juvenile S. canicula as a model species.Survival when you’re smallMeasuring just over 10cm, Smallspotted Catsharksare small and vulnerable when they hatch from theireggcases. Juveniles must therefore adopt behaviouralstrategies that enhance their chances of survival. Theymay hide in and around rocky habitat, for example, oradopt a different colouration as a form of camouflage– S. canicula are capable of changing the tone of theirdark and light skin colours to better blend with the colourof sediment they rest on. Alternatively they may chooseto aggregate with other small hatchlings to reduce theirchances of being preyed upon or increase vigilance asa group (although to be honest, for virtually all sharkspecies we do not know the behavioural strategiesadopted by shark pups to survive). Though, as with anyanimal that demonstrates gregarious behaviour, eachindividual shark must weigh up the costs and benefits ofparticipating in grouping behaviour. To understand whatthese costs and benefits are we must first explore themechanisms driving social behaviour.Having previously seen these juvenile catsharksresting together in small groups in captivity, I set outto discover whether these tiny hatchlings show anysocial preferences for familiar group mates or any socialstructure based on relatedness. I monitored multiplegroups of Smallspotted Catsharks, some of whichcontained individuals that had previously been housedtogether in aquaria (‘familiar’) and others that had nevershared the same environment before (‘unfamiliar’).Furthermore, some of these individuals were related(on their maternal side at least) and some completelyunrelated. In a final set of experiments I mixed familiarand unfamiliar sharks to find out whether they werecapable of assorting their associations with group matesbased on those individuals they were familiar with. Bytracking how long individuals spent resting together andwith whom they choose to rest, a social network profilewas built up for each group. The interaction valuesthat made up this social network were then comparedto randomised networks that were representative ofbehaviour should the sharks have been moving andassociating in a completely random manner.2It is likely that individual sharks benefit fromassociating with familiar group mates due to a reductionin competition and/or aggression. In the mixed familiarand unfamiliar trials some groups showed strongevidence of preferentially associating with thoseindividuals they recognised and avoiding those theydid not, however this result was not unanimous acrosstrials. Interestingly, amongst siblings, when the factorof familiarity was removed (i.e. individuals were relatedbut had never met) there was no significant indicationSocial behaviour in other speciesWe are slowly beginning to see more research into thesocial behaviour and grouping of sharks, a processhelping to promote a side of these animals that manypeople perhaps fail to consider. Lemon Sharks Negaprionbrevirostris for example, have now been shown capableof social learning 2 , that is the learning of a task throughthe shared experience of solving that task with a trainedindividual. Furthermore, the social interactions ofBlacktip Reef Sharks Carcharhinus melanopterus havealso been explored in the wild using photo-identificationtechniques and network analysis 3 .With the development of electronic tagging technology,we will no doubt soon see the verification of some ofthese captive experiments using free-ranging sharksin the wild. Until then, there remain many unansweredquestions still to explore using model species of sharksuch as the Smallspotted Catshark in captivity, providingdata that can then be used to infer behaviour in otherspecies that share similar behavioural and reproductivestrategies. Our study 4 has demonstrated that sharks areable to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliargroup mates and this opens a huge host of opportunitiesfor further work, suggesting that there is much moregoing on in these aggregations than meets the eye.Graph 2: Social network structure of 50 juvenile sharks, where coloured circles represent individual siblings and the distances and linesbetween them, the strength of their social attraction. © David Jacoby.of social structure. It is clear from the network diagram[see graph 2] that related individuals, represented bythe different coloured circles, do not clump together bycolour as would be expected if siblings spent long periodsassociating with each other. So why might this be? Sinceadult female catsharks have been shown to mate withmultiple males (female polyandry) 1 , there is likely to be3high genetic diversity between offspring hatched fromeggs laid by the same mother. As a result it is unlikelythat a behavioural strategy will evolve that promotes kinassociation. In this species at least, familiarity of thosewhom individuals hatch in close physical proximity to isclearly a more important driver of behaviour than geneticrelatedness.For more information on social behaviour in sharkscontact David Jacoby: davidjacoby1@gmail.comReferences:1. Griffiths, A. M. et al. (2012) First analysis of multiple paternity in anoviparous shark, the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula L.).Journal of Heredity, 103, 166-173.2. Guttridge, T. et al. (2012) Social learning in juvenile lemonsharks, Negaprion brevirostris. Animal Cognition, 1-10.3. Mourier, J. et al. (2012) Evidence of social communities in aspatially structured network of a free-ranging shark species.Animal Behaviour, 83, 389-401.4. Jacoby, D. M. P. et al. (2012). The effect of familiarity onaggregation and social behaviour in juvenile small spottedcatsharks Scyliorhinus canicula. Journal of Fish Biology 81,1596-1610.Main image: This research will lead to a better understandingof social behaviour in large sharks – such as these BlacktipReef Sharks – many species of which are heavily overfishedthroughout the world. © Peter Verhoog/DutchSharkSociety.Image 2: Juvenile Smallspotted Catsharks Scyliorhinus canicula.© Lauren Smith.Image 3: Juvenile Smallspotted Catsharks in the laboratory.© David Jacoby.6 www.sharktrust.org Shark Focus 46 Shark Focus 46 www.eggcase.org 7

The Big One angling expo, Farnborough. © Shark Trust.The Big One FebruaryNEWS&eventsIn February Shark Trust staff travelled to Farnborough Airfield to attend The BigOne – the UKs largest recreational angling expo. With the Trust’s Angler RecordingProject entering its third year, The Big One was an excellent opportunity to connectwith angling retailers, media and representative organisations, not to mentionanglers themselves. Although the expo has a focus on freshwater angling, therewas significant interest in the Shark Trust project and the resources available toanglers. See p.16 for an update on the Angler Recording Project.Southwest Marine Ecosystems Conference MarchIn March Shark Trust staff attended the annual Southwest Marine EcosystemsConference, hosted by the Plymouth-based Marine Biological Association of the UK.This year Conservation Officers Cat Gordon and John Richardson gave presentationson the Basking Shark Photo ID Project and Angler Recording Project respectively.The conference also highlighted research into the wider marine ecosystem, withpresentations ranging from the importance of ocean fronts as a focus for apexmarine predators, changes in fisheries productivity and marine renewable energy.National Science and Engineering WeekOn Friday 22nd March, the Shark Trust joined the WH 20SE Water? partnership(including Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust, AstraZeneca and Just Add H 20) atthe National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth, to deliver a series of workshops toattending school groups. At the Shark Trust station, students learnt about thediversity of sharks in British waters and in particular, all about eggcases and howdifferent features can help identify which species they belong to and can keep themanchored safely while the embryo develops.Wembury Beach - Great Easter Eggcase HuntThis spring the Shark Trust has teamed up with The Co-operative Membership tohost a series of Great Eggcase Hunt events around the UK. The inaugural event tookplace on Saturday 23rd March at Wembury Beach, near Plymouth in collaborationwith the National Marine Aquarium. The Great Eggcase Hunt was in fact launchedon Wembury Beach back in 2003, and so ten years on saw the Trust returning toengage a new generation of shark enthusiasts and beachcombers.WORLD SHARKNEWSNews since last FocusNovemberMako Shark’s Extraordinary JourneyScientists have been astounded by the 11,300km journey taken by one Shortfin Mako,over a period of just seven months. The shark became the first mako in New Zealandwaters to be tracked with a satellite “SPOT” tag and has changed researcher’sassumptions about their behaviour. The data obtained has provided clearer informationabout where the sharks go during winter months and what routes they take.White Sharks ‘Not Evolved From Megashark’A new fossil discovery helped quell 150 years of debate over the origin of White Sharks.Palaeontologists have previously disagreed over the ancestry of modern White Sharks,with some claiming that they are descended from giant megatooth sharks. However thisfossil appears to be a transitional species from broad-toothed makos to the modernWhite Shark, supporting the theory that White Sharks did not evolve from megatoothsharks such as the Megalodon.DecemberCook Islands Create World’s Largest Shark SanctuaryAn area of 1.9 million km 2 has been declared as a shark sanctuary in the South Pacific.The area will enforce a ban on shark fishing and possession or sale of shark products.With approximately one third of all oceanic shark species appearing on the IUCN RedList of Threatened Species this is an important step forward for shark protection.Breeding Hopes for Vulnerable Shark SpeciesA female Bowmouth Guitarfish has been relocated to Birmingham Sea Life Centre,where it is hoped she will breed with their resident male. The Bowmouth Guitarfish isclassified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List and it is hoped that if this breedingprogramme is successful, it could go on to provide individuals which could potentiallybe introduced into the wild.JanuaryScientists Using Holiday Photos to Track Whale SharksA new study from Imperial College London shows that tourist’s photos could helpscientists track Whale Shark movements in the Indian Ocean. Tourists visiting theMaldives frequently take underwater photographs of the iconic Whale Shark; many ofthese images can be analysed by researchers using photo-identification to recogniseindividual sharks.Marine Biologists Call for Removal of Shark Control MethodsThe use of shark nets and drum lines has been criticised following the death of apregnant Tiger Shark off the east coast of Australia. Shark researchers say they are awaste of time and do more harm than good, especially during months where beachesare closed anyway due to jellyfish numbers. Nets represent a huge issue for manymarine species without offering guaranteed protection for swimmers.FebruaryWhite Shark Recommended for Pacific ProtectionThe California Fish and Game commission voted to recommend protection of WhiteSharks in coastal Pacific waters. Although commercial fishing of Whites Sharks hasbeen banned since 1994, many are still caught in gill-nets. There are currently noregulations in place regarding by-catch; this vote will force decisions to be made onprotection measures in Californian waters.Endangered Sharks Return to Bahamas ‘Home’A tagging survey has revealed that Oceanic Whitetip Sharks frequently revisit the sameareas around the Bahamas. Eleven sharks were fitted with satellite tags which providedeight months of data. In July 2011 shark fishing was banned in the country’s waters andsuggestions have been made that marine protected areas could already be aiding thespecies.CITES: Protecting sharks from unsustainable tradeFor the past year the Shark Trust has been working as part of theCITES4sharks coalition alongside colleagues from the German ElasmobranchSociety, Humane Society International, Project AWARE Foundation, SharkAdvocates International and the Wildlife Conservation Society. As a coalitionwe have focused on supporting the listing of five species of sharks and twomanta rays on CITES Appendix II and the uplisting of Freshwater Sawfish toAppendix I.The 16th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora convened in Bangkok from the3rd-14th March 2013.The Shark Trust was there to contribute first-hand,and with all five shark and ray proposals adopted in Committee I, the scenewas set for what transpired to be an historic event.THE RESULTHistoric Shark Decisions Survive Final Threat at CITES PlenaryCITES4sharks on 14th March, 2013: CITES plenary accepted Committeerecommendations to list five species of highly-traded sharks under the CITESAppendices, along with those for the listing of both manta rays and one speciesof sawfish. Japan, backed by Gambia and India, unsuccessfully challenged theCommittee decision to list the Oceanic Whitetip Shark, while Grenada and Chinafailed in an attempt to reopen debate on listing three hammerhead species. Colombia,Senegal, Mexico and others took the floor to defend earlier Committee decisions tolist sharks.The Oceanic Whitetip Shark, Porbeagle, three species of hammerhead (Scalloped,Smooth and Great), and both manta rays (Giant Manta and Reef Manta) – allclassified as threatened on the IUCN Red List — will now be added to CITESAppendix II, which prompts permits to ensure exports are sustainable and legal. Theonly shark species listed under CITES prior to this CoP – Basking, Whale and WhiteSharks – are not taken in the high volumes associated with the newly listed sharks.The Freshwater Sawfish will be transferred from Appendix II to I, where all othersawfishes are listed, thereby completing a global ban on international commercialtrade in these Critically Endangered species.Proponents of the various listing proposals include the 27 Member States of the EU,Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras,Mexico, and the USA. The shark and ray proposals received more than the two-thirdsmajority of votes necessary for adoption, while the sawfish listing succeeded byconsensusSubheadTHE ReactionText..To quote Sarah Fowler, Shark Trust Trustee and long-time advocate for increasedEmphasis text.CITES listings for sharks, as she stopped outside the plenary hall: “Super, Super,Super…”What a result! Superlatives flowed freely with press releases reflecting the‘overwhelming’ and ‘tremendous’ nature of the result – and so they should for this isone of those truly watershed moments. But this was no overnight success, insteadreflecting years of campaigning for trade controls for these high-value species.“These hard-fought decisions to secure CITES regulations on international trade insharks and rays are based on a solid foundation built over two decades, and surmountthe long-standing opposition to listing shark species that are taken on a commercialscale,” said Amie Brautigam, Marine Policy 2 Advisor for Wildlife Conservation Society.CITES TerminologyConference of Parties (CoP): There are currently 178 countries listed as Parties toCITES. All 27 EU Member States coordinate their CITES representation through theEU Presidency. The Parties meet every two to three years at the CoP which providesa fortnight of intense debate and discussion.The species proposals are considered in Committee I and, following debate andinterventions from observers, are either adopted by consensus or voted on. A twothirdsmajority is required to secure an interim adoption.The final session (likely the last two days) of the CoP is called the Plenary andthis is where all species proposals are ratified, with the opportunity for Partiesto seek an alternative outcome to that secured in Committee I. If the species isnot contentious then the Committee I decision will stand. However, if there iscontention then the debate will reopen: a brief discussion is permitted with a votethen on reopening; a one-third majority is required to reopen the debate, with twothirdsmajority then required again to finally support the proposal.Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in these species ispermitted only in exceptional circumstances.Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but inwhich trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilisation incompatible with theirsurvival.Sonja Fordham President of Shark Advocates International commented: “At the CoPin Bangkok we saw solid technical and political foundation for listing commerciallyvulnerable sharks under CITES meet with unprecedented public support for suchaction. The results of this combination made history and should secure a brighterfuture for several particularly vulnerable and highly-traded species.”ImplicationsIt is important to appreciate that listing on CITES Appendix II does not ban exports,but it can facilitate legal, sustainable trade. Permits and procedures under CITESAppendix II enable regulation of exports based on species’ status and availability.The associated documentation provides for data collection which is needed formanagement and detection of illegal trade. CITES listings do not impact on domesticfisheries for local consumption.Listing on Appendix I does, however, prohibit international trade in all bar the mostexceptional circumstance.IMPLEMENTATIONAlthough the uplisting of the Freshwater Sawfish will happen virtually overnight,CITES measures for the Appendix II species will not come into force immediately. Agrace period of 18 months has been proposed prior to implementation of the sharkand manta listings to enable Parties to establish the necessary infrastructure. NowParties face the challenge of implementation, and it will be essential that Partiessuch as the EU and the US reach out and assist less developed nations with capacitybuilding and practical implementation.For more information on the species listed visit www.sharktrust.org/cites2013.To see how the debates unfolded visit Twitter: @SharkTrustUK and@CITES4sharks8 www.sharktrust.org Shark Focus 46 Shark Focus 46 www.sharktrust.org/cites 9

MEMBER’S pagesAnd it strikes…like ThunderballWe all remember Benchley and Spielberg’s Jaws, but as a kid the one shark film that reallyprompted curiosity, and was responsible for my fascination with sharks, was the 1964 Bond filmThunderball. Displaying some of the finest underwater videography of its time and breath-takingscenery around Nassau, Thunderball made the Bahamas look like the place to go if I wanted tomeet a shark face to face. Ten years ago I did just that, completing a PADI Open Water course anda handful of dives during which I was pretty much guaranteed a chance of seeing a shark. And Icertainly wasn’t disappointed.Fast forward to 2012, I thought it would be great to revisit the Bahamas and try out some divingon one of the quieter islands, Grand Bahama. We booked the all-inclusive Viva Wyndham resort inFreeport as it was located on the beach and promised shark diving within minutes of the hotel. Withthe little dive boat waiting for us on the beach, it was literally a stone’s throw away from the onsitedive shop.Once the engines revved and we were on the move we went straight into the briefing – althoughhalf way through we came to a stop as we were already at the dive site. With an almost perfectlycalm sea, and a more than comfortable air and water temperature, we broke the surface to seesharks immediately. At first you see shadows, and as you descend the shadows come alive withdetail. The sharks generally go about their own business but do, from time to time, come in closeand it is during these special moments you can truly appreciate their beauty. The species youare most likely to encounter is the Caribbean Reef Shark, although Nurse Sharks are also quitecommon and Bulls and Tigers have been known to make very rare appearances.The thing I loved most about this dive trip is that it was completely stress free. The dives wereshallow, the currents were minimal and whether you have hundreds or just a few dives in your logbook, it is very peaceful just to kneel on the sandy bottom at 35ft and observe our finned friends intheir natural environment.The shark diving sites are all in close proximity and relatively shallow, so doing two morning diveswon’t take it out of you too much, leaving lots of time to enjoy the rest of the island and resort. Allin all, if you are looking for the perfect excuse to get acquainted with our aqua buddies and wouldlike a little bit of sunshine and relaxation time too, Grand Bahama is a great place to start lookingfor your next holiday. And if you like diving armed with a camera like myself, you have great lightand –even better – the perfect subject!Caribbean Reef Shark Carcharhinus perezi. © Paul Martin.Paul MartinLettersHello Shark Trust,My name is Darcie and I’m 13. I would like to say thank you for allthat you have done to help the sharks. Since I can remember I haveloved sharks and when I am able to I want to become a marinebiologist. I am already well on my way as I have work experience inAustralia next year, working on the Great Barrier Reef. I have beenvery lucky to have these experiences as I have passed the first stageof scuba diving, so I can dive with a more experienced diver.At school all I ever talk about is sharks, or when I do apresentation, I always do it about sharks when I can.At home I have a shark poster, two soft shark toys, pens, pencils,rulers, sharpeners, rubbers, pencil cases, t-shirts, a flannel, a towel,a light switch sticker, necklaces, bracelets, fossilised teeth, Lego, abag, a purse, top trump cards, magnets, dvds and books about them,and even a model. What can I say I’m crazy about them!When I have enough money I am going to adopt a shark becauseI love them and think people should see that they’re not killingmachines but misunderstood creatures who only attack because,like any other creature, they have to survive on what they can. I justwould like to say thank you so much for all the work you’ve done tohelp the sharks, even the ones that have been caught in nets, theones that are washed up on beaches, the ones that have had theirfins chopped off and then throw back into the sea. I just can’t thankyou enough. You have given hope to all those shark lovers.Thank you,Darcie Heeley (Chesterfield)FundraisingThe Shark Trust is privileged to receive lots of donations in supportof our work. We would like to say a huge thank you to all of oursupporters who continue to support shark conservation by generouslygiving their time, passion and money.At the beginning of the year the Shark Trust received £233 from AnnaJoicey, who had been busy fundraising for sharks over Christmas.Anna, age 9, had raised this money by reading a grand total of 9books as part of a shark read-athon. Below Anna writes about herexperience of fundraising and why she wanted to help sharks.‘I love sharks and I feel sorry for them because there are not manyleft. I wanted to raise money because I love reading . It wasvery hard and took me a long time, I had to concentrate lots becauseI had to read 5 books but I read 9 over the Christmas holiday.I have lots of shark books so I got to know more about them.I am going to soon start my PADI Bubblemaker, so later (when I get older) I can seesharks with my own eyes.I hope to keep doing good things for sharks. ’JuniorMEMBER’S pageAnna Joicey. © Anna Joicey.Thank you to Jade Rotherham, age 11, who sent in this amazingdrawing of an Atlantic Weasel Shark!The Atlantic Weasel Shark is slender in shape with a moderately longsnout. It is light grey/brown in colour with yellow stripes and likes toeat squid.Jade’s picture can also be found in our online shark gallery atwww.sharktrust.org/sharkart, along with lots of other fantastic art.If you’ve been inspired to create some shark art or have drawingsyou’d like to send us, please post your work to:Shark Trust4 Creykes Court, 5 Craigie DriveThe Millfields, PlymouthPL1 3JB.Or you can always scan a copy of your work and send it to us by email.In May 2012, Sealife London Aquarium launched anew attraction called ‘Snorkelling with Sharks’. Thisexperience offers guests the opportunity to snorkel inSealife’s main shark tank, within the confines of a nettedcage at the surface, and learn about the threats thatsharks face and the importance of conservation. Theaquarium have offered to generously donate £5 from eachexperience purchased to the Shark Trust - to date £3225has been received, which we are extremely grateful for!We also received donations from: Mark Chuwen who chose to donate £50 to the Trustinstead of sending Christmas cards; and Charlie Gordon, age 8, who kindly asked hisfriends and family to make donations to the Shark Trust instead of buying presents forhis birthday, raising £161!Unfortunately we don’t have room to list everyone who has made a donation but youcan find out more about all our generous supporters by visiting our Walls of Fameonline at www.sharktrust.org/fundraise.10 www.sharktrust.org Shark Focus 46Shark Focus 46 www.sharktrust.org/fundraise 11

Basking in the dark……the secrets of our undersea leviathans64Lilian Lieber , Cathy Jones, Les Noble,University of Aberdeen andAndrew Brierley, University of St AndrewsBasking sharks, Cetorhinus maximus, are the UK’slargest shark species, sometimes growing to over10m. Although a large ocean migrant, every summerbasking sharks appear in our coastal waters and canbe spotted at the surface around Ireland, the Isle ofMan, and all along the west coast of the UK. LilianLieber writes about how we are slowly beginning tounderstand why they come here and how new toolshave been applied within her research group to findout about their underwater behaviour...© Charles Hood.Applying acoustic techniquesSeeing underwater in the murky seas of the Minch isnearly impossible with standard underwater cameras.However, last summer we finally found what we werelooking for when we were provided with an underwateracoustic imager that would, for the first time, allow realtimeobservations of multiple sharks at the same time.Finally we could see how they interact underwater!The rapid development in acoustic monitoring inrecent years has been largely exploited by the oil and gasindustry, naval surveillance, but also increasingly inmarine research. Acoustic devices such as active sonar(SOund Navigation And Ranging) are extremely powerful,even in rough seas. In short, most sonar systems in thepast had a single beam that would survey only a smallarea just beneath the vessel. However, we wereBasking in the darkexceptionally fortunate to have access to a forwardlookingmultibeam sonar system. As the name suggests,this sonar provides a much larger field of view, whichalso illuminates marine life in front of the vessel (seefigure 4, above).Thanks to RESON, a leading sonar manufacturer,we were able to use a highly refined, military-gradesonar system to observe Basking Shark underwaterbehaviour from a safe distance. With the multibeam,we could for the first time observe sharks interactingat distances of up to 150m, thereby not disturbing theirnatural behaviour. The system also has the benefit thatit does not disturb other marine life such as whalesand dolphins, as its operating frequency is out of theirhearing range.4Where this takes us…We are now moving towards understanding how BaskingSharks interact with each other as well as with theirenvironment. Currently, there is considerable uncertaintysurrounding the potential impacts of marine renewableenergy devices, so there is a clear need to developtools that can help investigate how Basking Sharks usetheir habitat, allowing areas of conflict to be identified.This project helped us gather baseline data that area pre-requisite to inform marine renewable energydevelopment, as well as the management of marineprotected areas. It is only once we know more about theirbehaviour within UK ‘hotspots‘ that we can implementspatial management for Basking Shark conservation inUK waters.AcknowledgementsWe are very grateful to RESON for kindly providingus with the multibeam sonar, with special thanks toJohn Fraser, Mairi Law, Richard Fotheringham andAdam Junner from RESON. Many thanks also to InnesHenderson and his crew for boat time and constantenthusiasm, and to Paul Ferndandes whose technicaladvice was much appreciated during the planningphase. LL is supported by a Prize Studentship from theMASTS pooling initiative (Marine Alliance for Science andTechnology for Scotland) and their support is gratefullyacknowledged.Shark fever in the late 1940s‘…its movements are gigantic, ponderous, andunfamiliar; it seems like a creature from a prehistoricworld…’ and“I was looking at a huge fin, a yard high and as long asthe base. It seemed monstrous, this great black sail, theonly visible thing upon limitless miles of pallid water.”Gavin Maxwell, Scottish Basking Shark hunter and author ofHarpoon at a Venture (first published 1952)Vivid accounts exist of men who have been captivated inthe search for Basking Sharks. Constantly driven by thatpeculiar sight of snout, tail and great dorsal fin slowlybreaking the surface; these men were the Basking Sharkhunters of the west coast of Scotland. Their shark feverhad driven them between the productive waters of theInner and Outer Hebrides, and into a treacherous seaknown as the Minch.2Post World War II, prices for oil were rising high andshark hunters believed recovering the oil-rich liversthat make up to a third of the shark’s body weightrepresented an extremely profitable business. BaskingSharks were plentiful at this time and for a while itseemed that waiting for the arrival of plankton wouldallow for a seemingly endless season of lucrative largedorsal fins circling in the distance.Whilst not pioneers, as sharks had been occasionallyhunted since the late 18th century, these men wereadventurers who soon began to understand the highlyseasonal and often unpredictable nature of Basking Sharkappearances in Scottish waters. Anthony Watkins, GavinMaxwell, Tex Geddes, and Patrick FitzGerald O’Connor allwent through times of triumph and despair, but in the endthey shared the same admiration, passion and curiosity forthese ‘archaic enormities in the sea’, to quote the latter.Mysteries old and newIncredibly, we are only now beginning to answer many ofthese curiosities that puzzled Basking Shark fishermen in thepast: why do Basking Sharks congregate in UK waters eachsummer? And where do they disappear to during the winter?Many theories existed at the time, including southwardmigrations to Africa (like migratory birds), burrowing intomuddy holes in the seabed until the plankton returned, orperhaps shedding and re-growing their gill-rakers, whichmeant that they could not feed during the winter.Today we know that Basking Sharks do not hibernate,in fact quite the opposite is true! Satellite tracking hasrevealed that they overwinter in deeper waters near thecontinental shelf edge and some even make it all the waydown to the coasts of Africa, amazingly just as it washypothesised over half a century ago 1,2 .Social behaviour duringsummer in UK waterAlthough we now better understand their wintermovements, astonishingly we still do not really knowexactly why Basking Sharks come to UK waters eachsummer. And this is part of the focus of my PhD; we arereally fascinated to find out what is actually happeningright in front of us, the moment when we see these gentlegiants slowly diving into the murky plankton-rich waters.Some researchers have suggested that Basking Sharkscould come here purely to feed on plankton, while otherwork suggests more social drives such as mating orcourtship behaviour 3,4 .The problem we have is that our understanding ofBasking Shark behaviour is based upon what we observeat the surface. But to really understand why they cometogether, we need to see what they are doing the other95% of their lives, below the surface.However, until now we’ve had no way of extendingour view from surface observations down into the watercolumn to see what’s really going on in terms of socialbehaviour.3Our own attempt at a venture to find sharks began inAugust 2012, on the ferry ride from Oban to the Isle ofColl, on the west coast of Scotland, when we werewelcomed by two juvenile Basking Sharks feeding on apatch of plankton alongside the ferry. We spent the nextcouple of days assembling the gear and attaching themultibeam to the vessel (image 5, below). Finally, on aclear and peaceful early August morning, we went out onthe search for Basking Sharks with Innes Henderson andJohn McCann, fishermen and Basking Shark enthusiastsbased on the Isle of Coll. Basking Shark sightingsincreased that day on the north-eastern side of the islandand really peaked around Gunna Sound, a small channelbetween Coll and Tiree, around 50 miles from Oban bysea. Here, in the middle of a hundred plus sharks, was5the first time multibeam sonar had ever been used toimage free ranging sharks - and it worked beautifully! Itwas an incredibly exciting feeling to pick up the firstacoustic images of Basking Sharks, especially so whenmore sharks appeared on our screen than were visible onthe surface (fig 6 & 7, below). Some of the activitiesincluded individuals closely following each other, parallelswimming or actively following plankton patches inmeandering curves.The multibeam sonar has revolutionised our access tothe oceans and has made exploration of underwaterbehaviour possible. When in the field and not knowingwhat to expect, it is these rare moments of awe thatreally seem invaluable.67References1. Southall EJ. et al. (2006) Seasonal space-use estimates of baskingsharks in relation to protection and political–economic zones in theNorth-east Atlantic. Biological Conservation 132: 33–39 3382. www.wildlifetracking.org/baskingsharks.3. Sims DW. et al.(2000) Annual social behaviour of basking sharksassociated with coastal front areas. Proceedings of the Royal SocietyB 267: 1897-19044. Harvey-Clark, C J. et al.(1999). Putative mating behavior in baskingsharks off the Nova Scotia coast. Copeia. 3: 780-782Main image: Basking Shark feeding. © Charles Hood.Image 2: Patrick FitzGerald O’Connor fishing his smallest shark ofthe season. Image taken from Shark-O! by P. FitzGerald O’Connor,published 1953 by Secker and Warburg.Image 3: Basking Sharks are most commonly spotted feeding at thesurface. © Eleanor Stone.Image 4: Illustration of a forward-looking multibeam sonar system.© RESON.Image 5: Deploying the multibeam transducer (shoebox-sized blackbox) to an aluminium ladder perpendicular to the vessel. © Lilian Lieber.Image 6 & 7: Close-up acoustic image of a Basking Shark andmultiple sharks interacting. © RESONImage 8: Part of the research team and crew, left to right: LesNoble, John McCann, Lilian Lieber. © Lilian Lieber.812 www.baskingsharks.org Shark Focus 46Shark Focus 46 www.baskingsharks.org 13

No place to hide:How large-scale protectionzones could benefit sharksand rays in the MediterraneanCroatian port of Maslinica. © Joadl.Around the world many elasmobranch (shark,skate and ray) populations are in decline,due primarily to overfishing. Similarly, thecommunity composition of many marineecosystems has changed dramatically in thelast few decades as a result of the direct andindirect effects of commercial fishing. Is thereanything we can do to help preserve diversityand encourage the rebound of an already highlydepleted elasmobranch community? A recentstudy published in Scientific Reports 1 foundthat large-scale fisheries protection zonesmight be one solution.People have fished in the Mediterranean Sea forthousands of years, typically for commerciallyvaluable species such as tuna and Swordfish.Sharks and rays were usually caughtaccidentally during this process and considered‘by-catch’. Since they were not consideredimportant or commercially valuable, extractionof species such as Spurdogs, smoothhoundsand rays occurred in huge volume, largelywithout remark. Here, we examine changesin the relative abundance of sharks and raysin the Adriatic Sea [see Fig. 1, bottom right],highlighting the role of commercial fishing –bottom trawl fisheries in particular – as a majordriver in depleting elasmobranch abundanceand diversity over the last six decades.Understanding changes inmarine ecosystemsMarine communities change in structure andcomposition as a result of fishing, with speciesdisplaying differing vulnerabilities to exploitation. Somespecies have a faster reproductive rate, or can escapemore efficiently from fishing gears, while others benefitfrom the decline of their direct competitors. However,understanding and explaining community changes inlarge marine ecosystems is challenging, particularlywhen it requires experiments. These experiments areoften impractical due to scale and cost, as well asincorporating large, mobile animals.One solution is to focus on particular areascharacterised by differences in the intensity of impact(such as fishing pressure) or environmental variables(temperature, depth, seabed topography). Observingand comparing changes in abundance and distributionof animals within these distinct areas is an efficient,cost-effective alternative, helping scientists understandto what degree the changes are an effect of naturalenvironmental variables or the result of human impact.Trawl surveysOur study analysed scientific trawl surveys in the AdriaticSea over six decades, examining a total of 2575 towscarried out between 1948 and 2005 [see Fig. 1].. A trawlsurvey is a scientific sampling method in which a largenet is deployed behind a boat, and dragged for 30-60minutes over the seafloor. Everything caught is countedand identified to give scientists an idea of the diversityand abundance of species occurring in a particular timeand location. By comparing catches of elasmobranchsacross surveys performed during different time periods,our study was able to explain and estimate long-termchanges in the diversity, abundance and distribution ofpopulations.Lauren Daly and Francesco FerrettiHopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, USAFigure 1 Positions of tows performed during the surveys analysed inthe Adriatic Sea. © Ferretti et al. 2013.The Adriatic SeaThe Adriatic has broad accessible fishing grounds,in which large fisheries for shellfish and groundfishhave developed. At the same time, this area alsoprovides an interesting case study as commercialfishing developed unevenly on either side. Alongthe western (Italian) coast, fishing methods werehistorically more industrialised, with correspondinglyhigh catch volumes. While on the eastern (Croatian)coast, fisheries developed more slowly, in a lessindustrialised fashion. In terms of fleet size andpower, Italy lists twice the number of otter trawlers(1541) as Croatia (855), with an average trawlerhaving some 2.25 times the horse-power of anaverage Croatian vessel. By comparing two sidesof the same sea, affected by contrasting regimes offishing intensity, our study revealed the response ofa complex elasmobranch community under differentscenarios of impact.14 www.sharktrust.org Shark Focus 46Surprising dataWe encountered expected results, as well as somesurprising discoveries, while analysing the trawl data[see Tab. 1]. As expected, we found a structurallydepleted elasmobranch community exhibiting ageneral decline in abundance of >94% since 1948,with most of the 33 species detected by the surveysstrongly declining over time. Furthermore, elevenspecies disappeared throughout the period of thesurveys (they did not occur in the observational recordafter the year 2000), updating the list of possibleextinctions in the Adriatic to twenty-two. Catch perUnit Effort and species richness was greater on theeastern side of the Adriatic [see Fig. 2] – reflectingthe less intense fishing pressure on the Croatian side,both historically and more recently.Yet, the Adriatic was not in good shapeeven sixty years ago. Many species targeted indedicated fisheries between the 19th and the20th centuries (for example larger, less resilientspecies such as Angelsharks, Common Skateand Tope) were sporadic, or already gone, priorto the commencement of the surveys in 1948.Interestingly, rates of population decline andspecies occurrence were not uniform – the resultof differences in biology among species, as well asthe effects of concurrent changes in predator andcompetitor (for food or space) populations.This was most clearly illustrated in the leastexploited areas, in which some elasmobranch speciesdemonstrated population increases. This implies thepresence of complex ecological interactions as seenin other heavily exploited marine regions of the world– such as the Gulf of Maine and the Gulf of Mexico –where populations of small sharks and rays increasedas a result of reduced predation and competitionfrom larger elasmobranch species 2 . Similarly, someof the more mobile species such as Spurdog, EagleRays and smoothhounds were found in relativelyhigh abundance in areas biologically suitable for thespecies, but considered by the authors to be amongstthe most heavily exploited by commercial fisheries.In contrast, in more heavily exploited Italian watersthese compensatory changes where absent, possiblyalready having occurred prior to the survey period.Species Tows Individuals First LastHeptranchias perlo Sharpnose Sevengill Shark 2 2 1948 1948Leucoraja circularis Sandy Skate 2 2 1948 1948Pteromylaeus bovinus Bull Ray 1 44 1948 1948Galeorhinus galeus Tope Shark 15 18 1948 1957Squatina squatina Angelshark 11 16 1948 1958Dipturus batis Common Skate 14 17 1948 1968Raja radula Rough Skate 8 8 1968 1994Rhinoptera marginata Lusitanian Cownose 2 2 1994 1994Dasyatis centroura Roughtail Stingray 4 4 1957 1996Dalatias licha Kitefin Shark 3 7 1995 1997Raja polystigma Speckled Skate 2 2 1999 2000Dipturus oxyrinchus Longnosed Skate 30 60 1948 2001Torpedo nobiliana Back Torpedo 1 1 2001 2001Oxynotus centrina Angular Roughshark 17 48 1948 2003Torpedo torpedo Common Torpedo 2 2 1996 2003Chimaera monstrosa Rabbit Fish 11 71 1994 2004Etmopterus spinax Velvet Belly 11 57 1994 2004Rostroraja alba White Skate 16 18 1948 2004Squalus blainville Longnose Spurdog 79 348 1948 2004Dasyatis pastinaca Common Stingray 45 94 1948 2005Galeus melastomus Blackmouth Shark 41 1147 1948 2005Leucoraja melitensis Maltese Skate 1 1 2005 2005Mustelus asterias Starry Smoothhound 63 94 1948 2005Mustelus mustelus Smoothhound 186 1302 1948 2005Myliobatis aquila Common Eagle Ray 133 539 1948 2005Raja asterias Starry Skate 55 129 1948 2005Raja clavata Thornback Skate 536 3612 1948 2005Raja miraletus Brown Skate 327 1780 1948 2005Raja montagui Spotted Skate 9 9 1948 2005Scyliorhinus canicula Smallspotted Catshark 812 24401 1948 2005Scyliorhinus stellaris Nursehound 139 396 1948 2005Squalus acanthias Spurdog 425 3632 1948 2005Torpedo marmorata Marbled Torpedo 68 92 1948 2005Table 1 Species detected in the Adriatic trawl surveys (1948–2005). Tows are the number of trawl tows that caught the species. Individualsrefer to the cumulative number of specimens detected in all tows. First and Last are the years of the first and last catch, respectively.Table adapted from Ferretti et al. 2013.Figure 2 Spatial comparisons of catches between Hvar and MEDITS surveys. (a)unstandardised Catch Per Unit Effort, and (b) species richness. For MEDITS weselected only the last two years of the series (2004–05) for a balanced temporalcomparison. Crosses are tows with no elasmobranchs. © Ferretti et al. 2013.A large-scale experimentInterestingly, the Adriatic has functioned as an unintentionallong-term, two-treatment experiment on the effectiveness oflarge marine reserves for the conservation and recovery oflarge mobile animals. In this case the different jurisdictions(Croatian and Italian) functioned as the treatment levels. Sincethe Croatian coast had a smaller fishing fleet, it acted muchlike a marine refuge. Faced with less fishing pressure, somespecies could sustain exploitation, while other more mobile andwidely distributed species such as Spurdog, Eagle Rays andsmoothhounds could even spillover into more heavily fished areas.From our perspective, this was suggestive of a significantbenefit in creating marine protected areas on a large scale (similarin size to the territorial waters of Croatia) in heavily exploitedareas such as the Adriatic. Existing marine protected areas inthe Mediterranean are too small for effective protection andrehabilitation of populations of highly mobile species, with animalsable to be fished once they leave the protected area.Hope for the futureSo what is to be done? Is there any hope for the sharks and raysof the Mediterranean? We think so. With the establishment ofadequately-sized marine protected areas, shark and ray populationshave the opportunity to rebound. Effective management andconservation of less-depleted elasmobranch communities inCroatian waters could promote recovery of these animals throughoutthe Adriatic Sea.The Adriatic Sea is an area of international jurisdiction, with diverseeconomic and political interests. However, highly mobile animals,including sharks and rays, do not stay within arbitrary lines andareas. Hence international management and cooperation is neededto protect these rapidly diminishing communities. Croatia will nowjoin the European Union (EU) in July of 2013. This means its territorialwaters will gradually become more accessible to EU fishing fleets, inparticular the Italian fleet, whose vessels already operate in the moreproductive marine areas close to the Croatian border. An Adriatic SeaFishery Protection Zone planned and managed at an internationallevel, with a focus on reducing fishing pressure in western areas andcontrolling the development of fisheries in the east, could act as abuffer to enable the less-depleted elasmobranch community in theeastern Adriatic avoid the fate of its western counterpart.References1. Ferretti, F. et al. 2013. Long-term change in a meso-predator community inresponse to prolonged and heterogeneous human impact. Sci. Rep., 3: 10572. Ferretti, F. et al. 2010. Patterns and ecosystem consequences of shark declines inthe ocean. Ecol. Lett.,13, 1055-1071Shark Focus 46 www.sharktrust.org 15

The Shark Trust’sAngler Recording ProjectSea-angling in the SouthwestThe potential of sea-anglers in the Southwest as a source ofdata is significant, with more than 240,000 residents of theregion identifying themselves as sea-anglers, while visitors tothe Southwest spend an estimated 750,000 days sea-anglingeach year 1 . Sea-angling in the Southwest has emerged as notonly an important recreational pastime, but also a key economicdriver, generating £165 million in expenditure annually, as wellas supporting more than 3000 jobs 1 . As well as an often emptycoastline punctuated by quiet coves, sandy beaches and surfpoundedreefs, a major draw-card for anglers is the remarkablediversity of sharks found in the region’s coastal waters. Thisranges from the spectacular Thresher and Blue Sharks, to everysea-angler’s Holy Grail - the Porbeagle Shark, down to the morediminutive Smallspotted Catshark and Bull Huss. At the sametime, shark’s less glamorous relatives, the rays, are also wellrepresented, with Southwest waters home to not only the ubiquitousThornback and Small-eyed Rays, but also rarer visitors such asstingrays and electric rays. While each of these species fulfils avital role in local marine ecology, some are true ocean wanderers,whose presence or absence is noticed on a much wider scale.And increasingly it is the absence which is the more visible, withshark populations around the world declining alarmingly in the lastfifty years. Here in British waters, once abundant species such asthe Common Skate^, Porbeagle and Spurdog have been reducedto less than twenty per-cent of their former population size, andare in danger of disappearing from large tracts of our coastlinealtogether 2 . At the same time, many anglers’ favourites such asStarry Smoothhounds and Thornback and Blonde Rays are subjectto greater fishing pressure in some areas as commercial fisheriesrefocus effort away from already depleted traditional species.The Angler Recording Project (ARP)Distribution and abundance data arefundamental in establishing sustainable shark*fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic. As well asground-fish trawls and other scientific sources,useful data can also come from ‘citizen science’projects. Acknowledging that sea-anglers areamongst the first to notice changes in sharkpopulations, the Shark Trust initiated the HLFfundedAngler Recording Project (ARP) in 2010,encouraging sea-anglers in the Southwest ofEngland to record and share details of theirshark, skate and ray catches.The objective of the ARP is not to stop sea-anglers enjoying the excitement of catching sharks,but to develop a solid working knowledge on the abundance and distribution of species found andcaught in the Southwest. As the dataset grows, the Trust will map results, showing which speciesare being caught by anglers, in what number and where. Presentation of data using ICES statisticalrectangles will ensure anglers fishing marks remain one hundred per cent confidential.In time the maps may also show trends in the number of sharks being caught which, in conjunctionwith other fisheries datasets, could highlight population growth or decline for some species. As wellas providing a baseline with which to compare future information, data from the ARP could haveimplications for the management of commercial fisheries for some species, and identify geographicareas, and particular species, in need of protection. All information and conclusions will be freelyavailable via the Shark Trust website www.sharktrust.org/anglers and at local record centres.To-date over one-thousand elasmobranchs have been recorded by the project from 270 fishingtrips. Catches range from the prized – and Critically Endangered – Porbeagle, to the more prolificSmallspotted Catshark (also known to anglers as the dogfish). Seventy-five per cent of fishrecorded by anglers have been sharks, the remainder skates and rays.2The project currently has a range of recorders, includingindividual anglers, charter skippers, as well as anumber of official ‘Fish Recorders’ and presidents ofsea-angling clubs throughout the Southwest. From theoutset, several of the Southwest’s larger clubs haveexpressed an interest in the contributing to the project,including Mounts Bay Angling Society, Clevedon Pier SeaAngling Club , the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain(Looe), Bristol Channel Federation of Sea Anglers,Mevagissey Sea Angling Club and the Poole DolphinsSAC. Collectively, these clubs represent a significantnumber of anglers throughout the region and theirsupport is vital. Although falling outside the project area,records are also coming from the south coast of Wales.Due to the highly migratory nature of many shark species(Blue and Porbeagle Sharks in particular), these recordsare important as a means of better understanding theirabundance and distribution throughout Southwestwaters.ResourcesA wide range of hard-copy and online resourceshave been developed to support the project, many ofwhich are available via the dedicated webpage atwww.sharktrust.org/anglers. These include a splashproofproject handbook, ID Guides for the most commonlycaught elasmobranchs and Sea-angling Advisories,detailing legislation and restrictions currently applicableto a small number of species.3The Trust has also produced a CD-ROM – Sharks: IdentifyRecord Release, containing all of these resources. To-datealmost 500 copies of the CD-ROM have been distributedto interested individuals and organisations throughoutthe Southwest and further afield. The disc also containsa short film with advice on ‘best practice’ handling ofmedium to large sharks (e.g. Tope, Blues, Porbeagle)– crucial information as sharks can be unintentionallyinjured (sometimes fatally) as the animals are boarded,the hook removed, photographed and returned to thewater. The Trust also produces a twice-yearly newsletterto keep project participants informed and interested.Media and publicityThe project and its resources have been widely promotedthroughout UK angling media, including by the fourmost prominent publications: Total Sea Fishing, BoatFishing Monthly, Sea Angler and Sea Angling News, withsimilar coverage planned for 2013. This project has alsoreceived excellent coverage in regional newspapers andmagazines.TripsThe Shark Trust has visited key angling centres in Dorset,Devon and Cornwall – including Brixham, Dartmouth,Weymouth, Poole, Newlyn, Looe and Penzance. Duringthese trips, staff promoted the project to charterskippers, angling clubs and organisations, tackleshops and enforcement officers (Marine ManagementOrganisation). In Looe, the Trust promoted the ARP atthe registration night for the Shark Fishing Club of GreatBritain’s summer Shark Fishing Festival – perhaps thepreeminent UK shark fishing competition. This year theTrust intends to visit angling centres in North Cornwall,North Devon and Somerset – including Newquay,Padstow, Appledore, Ilfracombe and Minehead, as wellas revisiting angling centres mentioned above.The next stepAlthough more than one thousand elasmobranchs havebeen recorded so far, at present the dataset is not largeenough to infer population trends such as changes indistribution or abundance. But as more anglers getinvolved and more records come in, this will change –in the process putting sea- anglers at the forefront ofmonitoring the health of shark populations throughout theSouthwest.What the project can do right now, however, isdemonstrate to policy-makers that sea-anglers are asignificant stakeholder group with an interest in thedevelopment and implementation of sustainable fisheriespolicy. It also reveals this group is not sitting back andhoping for the best. Instead sea-anglers are proactivelyengaging in projects like the ARP in order to betterunderstand and sustainably manage UK shark, skate andray populations.The ARP will continue to promote the importance ofcatch and release for all elasmobranchs, including usingtotal-length and girth measurements to estimate weight(an alternative to landing and killing sharks to weighthem). In parallel with this will be the development ofresources demonstrating correct handling of sharks, withthe aim of minimising impact on fish during capture andrelease.45ChallengesLike similar projects before it, the ARP is viewed withscepticism by some sea-anglers, with previous catchrecord collation projects failing to keep participantsinformed of progress or provide access to the project’sconclusions. One consequence is that many anglers feelthat any information they supply with the best intentionswill either end up in a data ‘black hole’ or be used toregulate their ability to fish when and wherever theywish.The Shark Trust is working hard to keep participantsin the ARP regularly updated and informed, as well asclearly stating how the data will be used. At the sametime the Trust will ensure that: A] participants are ableto access records and information upon request B]fishing marks remain confidential and C] results andconclusions will be made available to all participants andinterested stakeholders.The final issue the project must contend with is theseasonal nature of sea angling. With all but a minority ofhard-core anglers halting fishing in winter months, thereare very few records coming in between November andMarch.References1. Invest in Fish South West. 2005. The Motivation, Demographicsand Views of South West Recreational Sea Anglers and their SocioeconomicImpact on the Region. 118 pp.2. IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1.www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 09 October 2012.* Unless specifically stated otherwise, ‘sharks’ refers to all sharks,skates and rays which form the subclass elasmobranchii.^ Genetic research has confirmed the species previously known asthe Common Skate Dipturus batis is in fact two distinct species: theFlapper Skate Dipturus c.f. intermedia and the Blue Skate D. c.f. batis.Main image: Sea Angling. © L. Suff.Image 2: ARP catch composition.Image 3: ARP resources.Image 4: Blonde Ray Raja brachyura. © Sally Sharrock.Image 5: Thornback Ray Raja clavata. © Steve Andrew.16 www.sharktrust.org/anglers Shark Focus 46Shark Focus 46 www.sharktrust.org/anglers 17

The SystemWorks(22 years later)A year ago in Shark Focus 43 I wrote aboutSouth African shark anglers targeting WhiteSharks Carcharodon carcharias, catchingthem, landing them on beaches, and gettingaway with it despite the White Shark havingbeen a protected species since April 1991.On Friday 1st February the Mossel Bay Magistrates courtgave Leon Bekker a fine of 120,000 rand (£9,650) or ayear in jail (suspended for 5 years) for illegally catchingand landing a White Shark in Mossel Bay in March 2011.South African conservationists, campaigners andscientists applauded the judgement. There had previouslybeen a reluctance to prosecute due to the difficulty ofproving that White Sharks were being targeted. The MosselBay judgement has changed this and set a new precedent.The court found that anyone using special heavy tackleand big baits in known White Shark areas was guilty ofbreaking the law, as they would know the probability ofcatching a protected shark was high.Mossel Bay based scientist Ryan Johnson was an expertwitness at the trial and he commented “Leon Bekker hadcaught White Sharks before. He knew the probability, andas such was breaking the law even before he caught theshark.”From Richard Peirce in South Africa.Leon Bekker’s conviction for illegally catching and landing a WhiteShark sets a legal precedent in South Africa. Photo supplied.Bekker’s was not an isolated instance. As my article lastyear mentioned, South African shark anglers have beenusing a variety of specific catch methods to target WhiteSharks illegally for years. This was making a mockeryof the 1991 ruling, however now nearly 22 years later alegal precedent has been set which should cause anglersto think twice about flouting the law.WHITE SHARK RESCUEThe conviction of Bekker was then followed by anotherfirst on 5th February when a White Shark’s life was savedby a rescue team off Gansbaai (also in South Africa). Forweeks cage diving operators had observed a 2.8 metreshark becoming increasingly injured as a gut fishing linecut ever-deeper into him. The shark had become entangledand would have been unlikely to survive unless action wastaken quickly.Wilfred Chivell is the founder of the Dyer IslandConservation Trust (D.I.C.T.) and the owner of Gansbaaibased cage diving operator Marine Dynamics. Chivell is aconservation doer rather than a talker, and he decided todeploy all the resources he could to save the young shark’slife. Due to the White Shark’s protected status governmentpermission had to be obtained before the rescue operationcould be carried out.mostly ignored it, and the team made several frustratingattempts before bad weather forced them ashore.Great Whites rarely spend more than a few weeks at atime at Gansbaai, and the fear grew that Gut would leavebefore he could be disentangled. He disappeared for days,and his waiting rescuers knew that if he did re-appear theywould have to move fast.On Tuesday 5th February he was sighted at the MarineDynamics boat and the crew went into action. This time hetook the bait and roared off with it. Shark wrangler PieterDu Toit had the rod and fought to get the shark back tothe boat where Nicola was waiting with a special cuttingtool to remove the line. It only took 7 ½ minutes to get himback to the boat, cut him free of the line and release him.As soon as Gut was at the boat Nicola had gone into actionwith the line cutting tool, and in seconds he was free of thedidn’t hear it being so occupied with his escape, but as heswum off a huge cheer went up from all those onboard.Nicola re-named Gut by adding the word Lucky, andPermission was granted and D.I.C.T, Marine Dynamics, and line that had been slowly killing him. A barbless circle hook everyone at Gansbaai hopes that ‘Gut Lucky’ will returngovernment officials went on standby with the other Gansbaai had been used so that when he was released the hook and they can watch him heal and re-gain his health.cage diving operators reporting when the shark was sighted. would easily drop out of his mouth.Whether he was tangled in a longline or an angler’s line,For a shark to be caught it needs to cooperate and take Once Gut was free he took off at 150 miles an hour, heading this shark got lucky. This has been a nice little story tothe bait. By now Nicola Stelluto of Marine Dynamics had away from lines, hooks, and humans as fast as his fins would write, but I am ending it thinking of the millions of sharksnicknamed the shark “Gut”, and Gut was not cooperating. carry him! The whole operation had been witnessed by the who get caught each year and don’t get lucky.He swum around the bait and sometimes nosed it, but cage divers aboard the Marine Dynamics vessel. He probablyRichard Peirce.© Hennie Otto, Marine DynamicsNEW SHARK TRUST PROJECT:Promoting sustainability inNorthern English elasmobranch fisheriesThe Shark Trust, with funding from The co-operative,is beginning a new project in the North of England,promoting sustainability in elasmobranch (shark, skateand ray) fisheries. Focusing on ports in Yorkshire,Humberside, Lancashire and Cumbria, the Trust hopesto work with the commercial fishing industry towards abetter understanding of the fisheries in which NorthernEnglish vessels operate.WHY ARE HEALTHY SHARK POPULATIONSIMPORTANT?A growing body of research from around the worldindicates that when elasmobranchs are overfishedin an area, prey populations can explode in numberwith a significant, often irreversible ‘snow-ball’ effectfor the wider marine environment. As top predators,many elasmobranchs play a pivotal role in maintaininga balanced marine environment – in turn supportingproductive fisheries for other species such as teleostfish, Nephrops and shellfish.HOW SIGNIFICANT ARE ELASMOBRANCHFISHERIES FOR THE NORTHERN ENGLISHFLEET?In recent decades, landings have reduced considerablyin volume for both the under-10m and over-10m fleets,with elasmobranchs now taken largely as bycatch.Nevertheless they can still represent a valuablecomponent within mixed fisheries. This project willwork towards ensuring this remains the case, withfishermen able to profit from well-managed sustainableelasmobranch fisheries.HOW WILL THE PROJECT BENEFITFISHERMEN AND THE WIDER INDUSTRY?With mandatory species-specific recording now inplace for all elasmobranchs, the project will focuson supporting accuracy in identification, as well ascompliance with existing regulations applicable tosome species. As the accuracy of catch recordingcontinues to improve, fisheries scientists will bebetter able to identify elasmobranch stocks which cansupport sustainable, profitable fisheries. Similarly,those stocks showing the greatest declines can bemore effectively protected and might again – in time– support well-managed fisheries. This will also affordgreater opportunities for a regional approach to themanagement of these stocks.WILL THE PROJECT AFFECT THE WAY INWHICH FISHERMEN OPERATE?We don’t envisage it affecting fishermen’s work.Fishermen already record their catch by species;however certain species can sometimes be difficult toaccurately identify, especially when working at sea –for example catsharks, houndsharks and some rays.Shark Trust ID Guides offer rapid, accurate advice onidentifying all species shark, skate and ray speciescaught by Northern English vessels, while CommercialFisheries Advisories supply straight-forward informationon regulations, ensuring fishermen are not unknowinglycaught out.TO WHAT DEGREE WILL THE FISHINGINDUSTRY BE INVOLVED IN THEPROJECT?The Trust hopes to work with fishermen and theirrepresentative organisations, as well as seafoodprocessors/retailers and maritime educators.Complementing this, the Trust will also engage directlywith the Northeast and Northwest IFCA’s and the MMO,with resources available upon request.WHY FOCUS ON NORTHERN ENGLAND?The Irish and North Seas’ support rich marineecosystems and fisheries. They are also home tosignificant commercial fishing fleets operating innearshore and offshore waters. Elasmobranchshave played an important role in Northern England’sfishing heritage although, as in other regions of theUK, identification and recording has often been of lessimportance compared to bony fish.Upcoming Events27th April: Wildlife Festival, PlymouthThe Shark Trust will be attending the 7th annual DevonWildlife Festival, organised by the Devon Wildlife Trust,and taking place in Plymouth’s Piazza Shopping area.23rd – 24th June: BioblitzThe Shark Trust will be participating in the MarineBiological Association’s annual biological survey(Bioblitz) in Looe, Cornwall.Join the Shark Trust’s Great Eggcase HuntCo-operative members are being invited to join the SharkTrust’s Great Eggcase Hunt in a bid to raise awarenessof this flagship project and increase the flow of recordssubmitted. Co-operative funding is enabling a series ofevents to take place this spring from Devon all the way toOrkney. Keep an eye on the Events section of the websitewww.sharktrust.org/events for updates (including afurther event to be added in the eastern region) as wellas how to book on to an event!23rd March – Wembury, Devon4th April – Llandudno Bay, Wales7th April – Blackpool, Lancashire20th April – Mainland, Orkney19th May - Whitby, Yorkshire (TBC)31st May – Margate Main Sands, KentEuropean Elasmobranch Association(EEA) Conference 2013:Plymouth, UK, 1st – 3rd NovemberThe Shark Trust will be hosting the 17th annual EEAconference in Plymouth, UK. Perfectly situated on theSouth Devon coast, Plymouth is also home to a widerange of marine research organisations - including theMarine Biological Association of the UK, Plymouth MarineLaboratory and Plymouth University, and of course theShark Trust offices.The EEA Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday 1stNovember, followed by a welcome reception in the eveningat the National Marine Aquarium, with the conferenceitself running on the 2nd and 3rd of November at PlymouthUniversity. The conference and auction dinner will be heldon the 2nd November, also at the aquarium. The SharkTrust website www.sharktrust.org will have details of theconference as they are confirmed – including submissiondates for presentations, posters and student bursaries, aswell as keynote speakers and information on getting to andfrom the city.18 www.sharktrust.org Shark Focus 46Shark Focus 46 www.sharktrust.org/events 19

Sharks in Focus01 May–30 Sept 2013Photography CompetitionChanging attitudes through imageryAfter huge success in previous years, the Shark Trust is launching itsthird shark photography competition: Sharks in Focus 2013.The categories are:Shark!The White Shark has become infamous, and even has its owntheme tune. However there are over 500 species of shark foundworldwide, let’s celebrate them all!Shark PersonalitySharks are known as formidable predators but they can also beplayful, lazy, calm, shy and inquisitive…how do you see them?Best of BritishBritish waters are home to over 50 species of shark, skate andray, including some of the fastest and rarest in the world – here’syour chance to showcase them.Skates & RaysThese flat, cartilaginous fish are closely related to sharks, andwith over 600 species worldwide, there are more than enough tochoose from!Human EncountersThis category provides an opportunity to explore the relationshipbetween humans and sharks, whether positive or negative.www.sharktrust.org/competitionImages from top to bottom © Alec Connah, Sean Sequeira, Ofer Ketter, Dray Van Beeck.