The Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change
is a research museum of the Leibniz Association
Link to Leibniz Association
Project start: 2017
The critically endangered Angel Shark (Squatina squatina) has suffered a vast fragmentation of its former distribution range, leaving the Canary Islands as a unique “hotspot” where this Angel Shark can be regularly encountered. However, information on the spatial distribution patterns, population structure and abundance, residency and movement patterns of this shark are almost unknown. Volunteer citizen science programs, including those performed by recreational divers, generate a significant data pool and at the same time this engagement contributes to raise public awareness of shark ecology. Using the website www.angelsharkproject.com to register sightings by recreational divers, this project aims at providing basic insights on the trends of the population abundance, distribution and habitat use of the Angel Shark in the Canary Islands.
Ricardo Haroun Tabraue . Universidad Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ( ULPGC)
Joanna Barker . Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
David Jimenez Alvarado, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The Angel Shark Project is sponsored by: