Silky Sharks
Project Leaders: Rupert Ormond & James Lea
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Background
Historically, silky sharks were one of the most abundant shark species within the oceans, dominating the pelagic zone alongside oceanic whitetips. Now, however, they are becoming more like wraiths in the shadows. It is estimated that silky shark populations have declined by over 90% due to commercial fisheries, and yet that's almost all we seem to know about them; we're losing them, and fast. Vital information on their behavioural ecology and population dynamics are needed to help promote their survival and sustainable exploitation, through the implementation of informed management programmes and protection schemes.
In the field
Our work with the silky sharks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is part of a
larger initiative in the area that aims to establish a marine reserve.
Silky sharks are apex predators, particularly on the offshore reefs,
with considerable influence on the reef ecosystem. Via the use of
acoustic telemetry and archival tags, we aim to characterise the
residency patterns and habitat use of silky sharks in the area. This is
providing us with a spatio-temporal map of their distribution, which in
turn lends insight to home ranges and seasonal movement patterns, such
as potential migrations. Another facet to our study is to try and
ascertain to what extent feeding, such as that conducted on shark dives
by dive operators, may influence their behaviour and use of the
surrounding marine environment.
Being able to predict where these sharks are and when will better equip us to maximise the allocation of limited resources and define critical areas of core usage for their protection.
Being able to predict where these sharks are and when will better equip us to maximise the allocation of limited resources and define critical areas of core usage for their protection.