Features

RUG and IBAP tag first critically endangered sharks and rays in West Africa

In a first for the region, highly threatened sharks and rays have been tagged and released by scientists in the Bijagos Archipelago, off the coast of Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. The main goal of the expedition was to determine why these species use the shallow waters of the archipelago. During the four-week expedition, a team…
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Azores Shark & Ray Safari 2024

We are happy to announce the fourth edition of the Azores Shark & Ray Safari is going to take place in the summer of 2024. Make sure to register soon to be part of it! Sharks and rays are often the highlight of a dive if you’re lucky enough to see them in the short…
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Mid-Atlantic Shark Paradise

Over the past decade my research and travel plans have taken me all around the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. Now, it was time to venture into the hearth of this ocean. Close to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge lies a group of island that experience the full forces of this ocean on a daily basis: The…
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Bijagos Fall 2019 Expedition

We are currently in the midst of preparing for another expedition to the beautiful Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea Bissau. With a core team of 6 researchers and students of the University of Groningen (RUG) and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and two technicians and drone operators from The Fieldwork Company we will…
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On the Quest of Studying Elasmobranchs within Complex Intertidal Ecosystems.

Over the last decade, scientific research and conservation work focused on sharks and rays has increased vastly due to the dramatic population and increased media attention for these species groups. Until now scientific research has mainly focused on sharks and rays on tropical coral reefs or in association with pelagic and bottom fisheries. This bias…
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Measuring Hammerhead Sharks with Lasers

Although we published this paper already two (almost three, geez!) year ago, I think it is a paper worth sharing here as well. Together with Craig O’Connell (O’Seas Conservation Foundation) and a whole expedition team we set out to try a novel technique to non-invasively identify and measure great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran). The technique…
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Young lemon sharks of Statia

After the exciting news of the silky sharks on the Saba Bank two weeks ago, this time we move a bit Southeast from Saba to the Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius (better known as Statia) for another shark-story. Throughout Spring 2015 and Summer 2016, multiple observations were made of a, for Statia’s waters, undocumented shark species: the lemon…
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A new shark for the Saba Bank

As we set out to the immense Saba Bank to do regular dives last Thursday, our captain spotted two small sharks at the surface. One glance at the surface and I realized these sharks were a bit more special than the regular residents, Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks. In fact, I soon started screaming…
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Elasmobranch Expedition Mauritania 2017

After the very successful expedition to Mauritania in 2016, I joined again for a slightly different mission this time. As we mainly interviewed local fishermen, traders and boat owners during the 2016 expedit ion, this time we set out to try and catch sharks and rays right in the shallow waters of the Banc d’Arguin.…
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EEA Conference Bristol

Last weekend the annual meeting of the European Elasmobranch Association (EEA) took place in the Bristol Aquarium (UK). Organized this year by the UK-based Shark Trust, a total of around 170 delegates from over 22 different countries attended and there were a total of 69 presentations given over the course of 2.5 days. Organized in 1996 for the first time by its…
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