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What sharks reveal about the state of the ocean
The EconomistTodd Steiner, Dr. Kevin Weng, Randall Arauz, Geiner Golfin, Dr. Greg Stone, Dr. Richard Unsworth, Kevin Wang
- Scientists in Costa Rica have shifted from lethal shark hunting to non-invasive tagging to map migratory "swimways" critical for ocean health, despite a recent history of aggressive tiger shark behavior including a fatal attack on a diver.
- Marine biologist Todd Steiner and colleague Kevin Wang are collecting acoustic tracking data from over 1,200 animals in the Cocos Island Marine Protected Area (MPA) to build a case for expanding the zone to include the migratory corridor between Cocos and the Galápagos Islands.
- The proposed expansion would protect a vast "superhighway" spanning over 400 miles, aiming to connect existing hot spots for three endangered shark species and two endangered turtle species.
- Shark populations around Cocos Island have declined by as much as 90% in one species over the last 20 years, part of a global trend where an estimated 100 million sharks are killed annually, primarily for the Asian fin trade.
- Randall Arroz, a long-time activist in Punta Arenas, faces opposition from a powerful fishing lobby and government loopholes that allow commercial fishing to continue despite previous regulatory victories.
- Current enforcement of the Cocos MPA is severely under-resourced, relying on only 19 rangers with no arrest powers and a broken $3.4 million radar system, making policing a potential 10,000+ square mile expansion currently impossible.
- Dr. Greg Stone is conducting research in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (size of California), a remote site in Kiribati isolated from fishing and pollution, to study coral resilience against climate change and El Niño-induced warming.
- Research indicates that corals in the Phoenix Islands have demonstrated rare resilience, recovering with "incredible vigor" after bleaching events 17 years ago, suggesting these specimens could serve as progenitors for future global reefs.
- Dr. Stone advocates for strategic selection of marine protected areas, prioritizing locations with naturally resilient ecosystems to maximize conservation impact amidst rising global temperatures.
- In West Wales, Dr. Richard Unsworth is testing low-tech seagrass restoration methods, aiming to reverse a global 30% decline in seagrass stocks since 1980 to leverage their capacity to store carbon 30 times faster than rainforests.
- Marine protected areas currently cover only 3.6% of the global ocean, a figure scientists argue must be increased and strategically adapted to address specific threats like migratory overfishing and climate change.