Pacific reef shark populations plummeting, study says
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New study tracks Pacific reef shark numbers – A new survey of Pacific reef sharks has shown that numbers are dwindling dramatically in areas near islands with human populations.
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A whitetip reef shark at Palmyra Atoll. Lead author of the study Marc Nadon said: "Reef shark numbers were greatly depressed compared to reefs in the same regions that were simply further away from humans."
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Over 1600 surveys were included in the report and provide the first estimates of reef shark losses in the Pacific. Divers were towed along behind a boat allowing them to track this large and mobile species.
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Co-author of the study, Julia Baum said: "Reef shark fins are not the most valuable because they tend to be smaller than other sharks, but a lot of other oceanic sharks have already declined a lot so that's why fisherman are now turning to them."
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– The study is part of the U.S.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program.
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A blacktip reef shark. Baum says reef sharks are the "apex predators" of coral reefs and like predators in other eco-systems play important roles in structuring food webs.
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The study is published in the online journal Conservation Biology.
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