Researchers are assessing the efficacy of shark sanctuaries by developing a modeling system that utilizes publicly accessible fishing data to determine shark catch and mortality rates. Their findings represent an important step in utilizing data science to tackle oceanic conservation challenges.
Virginia Tech researchers in the College of Natural Resources and Environment are assessing the efficacy of shark sanctuaries by developing a modeling system that utilizes publicly accessible fishing data to determine shark catch and mortality rates. Published in the journaltheir findings represent an important step in utilizing data science to tackle oceanic conservation challenges.
"Unlike some other marine protected areas that ban commercial fishing entirely, shark sanctuaries still allow fishing to occur, and anytime you have fishing, you're going to catch sharks," said Shea."The stress of being caught and released means that you're going to have some unintended mortalities of sharks in these sanctuaries, even if all sharks are released.
"We've traditionally relied on a lot of old-fashioned measures in fisheries management, such as direct observations and having people sit on boats with log books to monitor catches," said Shea."Now we're in an age where absolutely everything has a data point attached to it all the time. We need to start trying to leverage all of these data streams into telling a clearer story about what's happening in our oceans.
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