Every year, on 14 July, International Shark Awareness Day is celebrated across the globe. This is a day focusing on getting rid of the negative myths, to celebrate these incredibly important marine apex and mesopredators, and to highlight the extinction risks they face. A scary fact is that up to one third of all shark and ray species are threatened globally, making them the most threatened marine taxonomic group. As such, International Shark Awareness Day focuses on conservation, advocacy and education around all things sharky!
– Sharks and rays are highly specialised yet incredibly diverse. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, feeding on a variety of different prey items.
– They keep our oceans healthy and ecosystems intact.
– They are incredible tourism drawcards; their value is in living.
– Their beauty and power sees them often used as mascots or icons for sports teams. Our very own provincial rugby team, The Sharks, is testament to this.
Did you know that South Africa is considered a global hotspot for shark and ray species? We have 191 species occurring in our waters, including 13 species that are found nowhere else on Earth! Sadly, 43% are threatened with extinction through activities like overfishing, climate change and coastal habitat loss. But there is a glimmer of hope! Some of our local populations are better off than globally; South Africa has improved management for some species; and ongoing research and habitat protection can support recovery.
To this end, NRF-SAIAB’s Acoustic Tracking Array Platform (ATAP) is supporting the improved management of our shark and ray species through the collection of presence/absence data allowing for the identification of areas important to one or several species. These data can be used toward marine spatial planning measures. To date, the ATAP has collected data on more than 1300 individuals from 35 species of sharks and rays, with 28 (17 sharks, 10 rays, 1 skate) currently being monitored, including apex predators such as white sharks and bull sharks, coastal cruisers like bronze whaler sharks and smooth hammerheads, resident species like spotted gully sharks and lesser guitarfish, Critically Endangered rays like whitespotted wedgefish, common eagle rays and duckbill rays, and species of tourism importance, including raggedtooth sharks and reef manta rays.
They are so much more than the fear they portray; Happy International Shark Awareness Day!
