A new study by the the University of Western Australia found that marine refuges designed to provide protected habitat for marine species should include aggravation points used by open water-sharks to adequately protect species like makos and oceanic whitetips.
The study, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, found that making minor changes to Australia’s marine parks could make a major difference when it comes to protecting some species of open-water sharks from overfishing.
“Sharks are essential to the health of our oceans and to the fisheries that billions of people worldwide depend on,” UWA’s Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences Charlotte Birkmanis said. “Sharks are also valuable to tourism, with shark diving alone bringing in $25.5 million in Australia annually.”
By analyzing commercial fisheries’ catch data and environmental parameters, the study found shark hotspots around Australia for seven species of open-ocean sharks.
“The research shows that we are only protecting one percent of these hotspots in our marine park network and all of these areas are exposed to fishing pressure,” Birkmanis said. “The study highlights that if we rezone our existing marine parks to reduce fishing in these hotspots we could give makos and other species a haven in Australian waters.
“The endangered mako shark has been shown to repeatedly return to certain habitats for extended periods and by protecting these hotspots we can give these species a safe haven in Australian waters.”