Shark tank

© Océane Beaufort
© Océane Beaufort

The third session of the Negara program - as in Negaprion, the scientific name for the lemon shark - took place from May 18-23, 2015, once again under the leadership of Oceane Beaufort, an expert in this large cartilaginous fish currently seen in their juvenile stage along the island’s beaches, where they come into more frequent contact with swimmers. A team from the Réserve Naturelle and this young scientist turned their attention to the lagoon south of the small island of Tintamare, where they tested a fishnet acquired by the Réserve Naturelle, in the hopes of capturing a lemon shark without hurting it. This technique is less aggressive than fishing with a hook, but is sometimes difficult to succeed in a rocky zone or where there is a lot of sargassum seaweed. Only one shark was caught and was marked twice: once on its fin and with a chip under its skin. The absence of juvenile lemon sharks marked at this site in 2014 remains a mystery. Did they migrate? Were they victims of hurricane Gonzalo or of a predator? The interest in marking the sharks lies in the hope of getting answers to the many questions that we have about this little-know species.

© Océane Beaufort
© Océane Beaufort

All articles from: Newsletter-24

Better Knowledge About Protected Areas And Protected Species

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