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In a world first, the shark fishermen of Indonesia, working together with Project Hiu, deployed 10 shark tags on tiger sharks in local waters. The worlds largest shark fishing nation will finally have data that is desperately needed to understand and better protect these animals. Now with a new type of tag we can collect additional data, made possible by the donations of Envoy Foundation.


Text Credit: Project Hiu

Image Credit: Tanner Mansell

PROJECT GOALS

Indonesia is home to over 25% of the world’s known shark species and serves as a hotspot for marine biodiversity. Unfortunately, it is also home to one of the most heavily fished areas of the ocean and is one of the most dangerous places to be a shark. Many shark species are slow growing, taking decades to mature before reproducing. As profitable targets for the fin trade, sharks are often captured and killed before they can give birth to the next generation of sharks. Unable to reproduce faster than they are being fished, shark populations have declined by 70% over the last 50 years and are in a constant battle against extinction. As top predators, sharks keep our oceans healthy through a “trophic cascade”, balancing out underwater environments. The loss of sharks in ocean ecosystems will be fatal to a multitude of marine species and cause rippling effects that we would feel on land, including a decline in healthy fish stocks that most of the world relies on for economic stability.

KEY ACTIVITIES

While some marine protected areas exist in Indonesia, they are few and far between and were not designed with sharks in mind. Satellite tracking will provide a glimpse into the daily lives of sharks, revealing what areas in Indonesia they frequent. We will be able to determine what environmental factors (sea surface temperature, currents..etc) they prefer, and predict their future movements based on this new knowledge. A study of this magnitude has never been conducted here before, and our research will provide novel insights into the behavior and life history of Indonesian sharks.


The clock is ticking for sharks and to protect them we need to understand their movements to determine where to focus conservation efforts. Through tracking endangered sharks, we will be able to monitor their movements over time and identify areas critical to their survival such as feeding and mating grounds. 

The identification of these areas will become highlighted as potential protected areas restricted from fishing, protecting sharks when and where they need it most.


We have already made history by tagging the first tiger sharks ever in these waters, with our work even more unique through our partnership with the Indonesian shark fishermen themselves. While we work to understand shark movements, we also work to change the relationship that locals have with sharks to mitigate the threat at the source. The men who once fished and killed these sharks are now helping to save them.

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Learn more about Envoy Foundation's other important work.

CASE STUDY

Shark Tagging Indonesia

PROJECT GALLERY

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