As you know, here at The Scuba News we love sharks..absolutely love them and we know we are not alone. There are a growing number of research and preservation organisations currently operating to help the plight of sharks worldwide and here is one that we are happy to promote, The Red Sea Sharks Trust who are supporting shark research projects throughout the Red Sea.
Here is an extract from the official Red Sea Sharks website:
“The Red Sea Sharks trust was established in April 2012.
Based on the work of biologist Dr Elke Bojanowski in the Egyptian Red Sea since 2004, its major goals are to support shark research projects in the Red Sea and provide information and education on sharks and their worldwide situation.
Ongoing research projects include photo-identification catalogues for three Red Sea shark species, the oceanic whitetip shark, the grey reef shark, and the silky shark, as well as a general shark monitoring programme.
With the help of our supporters, Red Sea Sharks aims to expand these ongoing projects. This involves increasing the exposure of our work as well as the recruitment of additional volunteers to maximise our coverage of the Egyptian Red Sea for our image collection and shark monitoring schemes.
In order to effectively deal with shark images and other data being collected, the trust is looking into improving and developing analysing and pattern-matching procedures. Some promising steps have been taken in that direction, but additional efforts are needed.
To further our understanding and knowledge of Red Sea sharks, we are planning on developing novel or alternative survey methods to allow repeated, reliable assessments of their populations.
Inquiries into different electronic tracking devices and their suitability for a variety of Red Sea shark species are underway. Awaiting funds, the plan is to optimise these efforts in cooperation with with researchers in neighboring countries, especially Sudan and Saudi Arabia. This will allow us to gain a much more comprehensive picture of shark movements throughout the region.
The ultimate goal of the Red Sea Sharks trust is to collect information for the conservation and protection of sharks.
While detailed numbers and population status are lacking for the Red Sea, the worldwide depletion of these large predators has given an urgency to our cause, and we hope to achieve our goals with your support!”
You can learn more about The Red Sea Sharks Trust and support this great organisation at http://www.redseasharks.org – You should also follow them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/RedSeaSharks
1 Comment
The red sea effect can be moderated with a little due dilegence. I think that you were right on with this article. Very valuable information Lee.