CONSHARKVATION.ORG

The world first blue shark photography identification catalogue.

Have you seen any of these sharks?

The ‘Scarface’ is one of the most sighted and iconic blue sharks in the canal between Faial and Pico. For approximately 6 years, it has been sighted repeatedly in the same location. The deep scars on the left eye and apparently smiley face makes of this individual one of the most easily identifiable blue sharks that visit (or live) within the Azorean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Repeated location preference shown by certain individuals pose important questions regarding blue-shark navigation strategies to preference areas but also about their time of residency and use of territory.

The present project seeks to implement a pioneer approach to the study of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) in the Azores and for the North Atlantic population through citizen science, photographic surveys and social media data mining.

The blue sharks (Prionace glauca) is a cosmopolitan species, inhabiting all oceanic basins. It’s possibly the most abundant and wide-ranging chondrythian, which reveals impressive adaptation qualities and ecological plasticity. Nonetheless, the blue sharks are also one of the most heavily fished species; its worldwide distributed populations have been suffering for decades of high fishing mortality, either as a targeted species or due to bycatch, throwing one of the most successful oceanic species with keystone ecological value into a vulnerable circumstance.

Decades with absence of fishing regulations (allowable catch or quotas) and a lingering resilience to manage this species as a perishable stock, have granted the blue sharks the lable NEAR THREATENED by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, aknowledging a worrisome globally decreasing population.

Marine tourism activities in the Azores take thousands of people every year to shark diving, with scuba gear, snorkeling or free-diving. The collection of photos taken from such encounters are an invaluable source of data to create a catalog of individuals, which can later be used to better understand their movement patterns and ecology.

To better understand the real economical value behind activities such as shark diving and overall marine tourism, we will promote a pilot study on the systematic identification of blue shark individuals, regarding each individual as an important non-extractive living resource.

Find below identification galleries for each individual sighted presenting identifiable conspicuous marks and other information related to their sightings.