#TurksandCaicos, February 3, 2021 – For two weeks in January and February, a field research team from Beneath the Waves, a USA-based NGO, is in Turks and Caicos Islands.
The team, under Dr Austin Gallagher, is carrying out marine
fieldwork for the project Diversity, Occurrence, and Habitat Use of
Large Sharks in the TCI.
The project will be investigating the wild habits of
large sharks including tiger sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, and nurse sharks,
to name a few.
Included in the studies are habitat use through baited
remote camera systems, sampling and sequencing seawater for shark environmental
DNA, shark behaviour and use of TCI Exclusive Economic Zone tracking and
imaging technology, and aerial drone surveys to study interactions between
large sharks and other large marine life.
The baited remote cameras will reveal information
about depths sharks prefer and where they hunt. Sampling seawater for shark
environmental DNA is a developing technique that takes advantage of the biotic
material all living organisms shed into their environments, which includes
their own genetic fingerprints. Two different types of satellite tracking tags
will be attached to sharks (with time-degrading attachments that allow them to
fall away when no longer active) to find out what areas they frequent and how
far they travel. Remote observation using drones will allow the sharks
interactions with other marine animals, like sea turtles and whales, so we can
better understand their role in the megafauna community.
Beneath the Waves research generates data vital to DECR’s work on
shark protection and management in TCI. Dr Gallagher’s team, with DECR, hosted
an online Facebook live session about their work and experiences last night on the DECR’s Environmental
Outreach and Education Facebook Group.
Lormeka Williams, DECR Director stated, “It’s a pleasure to have Dr Gallagher and his research team back in TCI, especially during these challenging times. I look forward to learning about the team’s discoveries. Sharks are vital to the health of our reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove habitats, and fisheries, and as we learn about these marine neighbours, we will be better equipped to protect them and their habitats.”
It is envisioned that Dr Gallagher’s team will return
several times this year to carry out the research work.
Photo
credit: World Nomads