Project

Sababank: Sharks (inc. Yarari)

Coral reef associated sharks play an important role as top predator, bio-indicator and for recreational diving. Since 2015, a telemetric network is operational on coral reefs at Saba, Saba bank, St Eustatius and St Maarten in cooperation with nature foundations that allows tracking tagged sharks for several years. We study which habitats are important, what their spatial living space is, and connectivity between different reefs. This allow to evaluate the health of coral reefs and the effectiveness of protected areas (local Marine Parks and Yarari).

This BO project aims to study habitat use and movement patterns of coral reef associated shark species in the Caribbean parts of the Dutch Kingdom. The current operational network of detection stations will be complemented and in 2022, in total 8-10 sharks of different species (Caribbean reef shark, nurse shark and/or silky sharks) will be deployed with acoustic transmitters with depth sensors to measure habitat use and connectivity between different reef systems. In addition, there are still other sharks with transmitters from previous years around. The transmitters last for 4.5 years. There is cooperation with local NGO’s, park managers and dive/tour operators. Because tagged sharks can be follow for several years, most of the analyses will be carried out in the last year of the 2021-2025 study period. The data and new insights will be used to assess coral reef system and fisheries health, and to determine what important (key)habitats are, and to evaluate the different conservation zones (local Marine Parks, YARARI) and to enhance awareness and support to protect sharks.

Publications