Movement, migration and social networks in wild shark populations. Sharks are vital components of marine ecosystems and contribute significantly to ecotourism and fisheries. Due to their slow rate of growth and reproduction, sharks are susceptible to over exploitation. A lack of knowledge regarding their behaviour and movement patterns is a key impediment to effective management. This project aims to examine social interactions and migration patterns of Port Jackson sharks using a unique combina ....Movement, migration and social networks in wild shark populations. Sharks are vital components of marine ecosystems and contribute significantly to ecotourism and fisheries. Due to their slow rate of growth and reproduction, sharks are susceptible to over exploitation. A lack of knowledge regarding their behaviour and movement patterns is a key impediment to effective management. This project aims to examine social interactions and migration patterns of Port Jackson sharks using a unique combination of genetic techniques, novel acoustic tag technology, behavioural manipulations and modern social network analysis. Once verified, the approach developed can be applied to other marine predators of particular management concern. The data generated will directly inform fisheries and conservation management policy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100572
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$369,745.00
Summary
Understanding the ecological and economic implications of reef fish larval dispersal. Until we understand larval dispersal, the movement of reef fish during their juvenile stage, we cannot sustainably manage coral reef ecosystems. This project will use sophisticated mathematical tools to understand how larval dispersal influences the ecology and management of the Great Barrier Reef and a fishery in Papua New Guinea.