CONSHARKVATION.ORG

Consharkvation International is a non-governmental, scientific based organization, specially dedicated to tackle sharks & rays (elasmobranchii) conservation issues. The main goal is to produce science that can be positive to help develop sound management strategies; to close the gap of understanding between science and communities with adequate science communication and lastly to connect with stakeholders and politicians whereas intervention to conserve elasmobranch species shall be needed.

The loss of species derived from anthropogenic causes is currently the greatest threat to land and marine ecosystems worldwide. Either resulting from overfishing, pollution or resource mismanagement, our organization is committed to the task of mitigation of such causes.

Consharkvation also wants to involve citizens in the collection of important data to help understand marine species, for parameters like their presence, distribution and identification of individuals. Through the development of an mobile/web App that is currently available on-line, we allow citizen science to occur and to contribute to elasmobranch conservation, increasing public awareness towards the challenges that these particular species are facing.

The pilot study of the citizen science App is presently directed to the Azores (Portugal) islands exclusive economic zone (EEZ), focusing on the understanding of pelagic sharks and rays geographical distribution, their migration patterns and how this species interact with human activities (fisheries, marine traffic, etc). The mobile app also includes a species catalog to help describe a sighting and identify species in a quick and fast way.

Ultimately this ‘mobile app’ shall harvest valuable data to create ‘heat maps’ of species presence/abundance on a wide time span. All information shall be used to create dynamic management and species
conservation strategies that can ensure the sustainability of health of sharks and rays populations.