£1m Study to Reveal Secret Lives of UK Sharks
Researchers from the University of Exeter will focus on blue sharks, porbeagles and tope, using electronic tagging, DNA analysis and decades of records from recreational anglers to investigate where the sharks travel, feed and breed.
Backed by £939,434 from Natural England, the project brings together the University of Exeter, Marine Biological Association, Angling Trust and the Pat Smith Database.
Despite regularly occurring around our coastline, surprisingly little is known about the movements and population trends of these species. Researchers hope the study will help identify important habitats and reveal how sharks using English waters are connected with populations elsewhere.
Electronic tags will track the sharks’ movements and diving behaviour, while researchers will also investigate how well they survive after being caught and released. Non-invasive ultrasound scanning will be used to identify pregnant sharks and could help locate previously unknown pupping and nursery areas.
Recreational anglers will play an important role in the research, contributing both current observations and decades of historical knowledge. The Pat Smith Database contains shark catch records stretching back to 1953, providing scientists with a valuable long-term picture of how populations may have changed.
Researchers will also work directly with anglers at locations around England, including Falmouth, Looe and Brightlingsea.
The project, led by Dr Matthew Witt and Dr Lucy Hawkes from the University of Exeter, will run until March 2029, with the findings helping to inform future conservation measures for the three species.
With more than 40 species of shark recorded in British waters, the research could also help shine a light on just how remarkable our own shark populations really are.
