Satellites track shark migrations to aid conservation
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Researchers in Australia analysed thirty years of studies to understand how sharks and rays move, discovering that many species travel across international borders.
The team found that white sharks can swim almost 11,000 kilometres between South Africa and Western Australia, and school sharks travel up to 3,000 kilometres across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. They identified 29 species that migrate internationally, but lack data on the movements of 18 other species, including a majority of those considered threatened.
The scientists determined that Australia could improve conservation efforts by sharing tracking technology and expertise with neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea. They also recommend that Australia prioritise research on the species with unknown migration patterns and align its species classifications with the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Combining movement data with oceanographic information will help researchers predict likely migration pathways and focus tracking efforts.
The researchers emphasise that understanding these movements is crucial because national protections for sharks and rays end when the animals leave a country's waters, exposing them to threats like accidental capture by vessels.
