In the heart of French Polynesia, a narrow channel carves its way through the Fakarava Atoll, connecting a vast lagoon to the open ocean. To the casual eye, it's a beautiful stretch of turquoise water. To a thriving community of grey reef sharks, it's a bustling metropolis, a nursery and a sanctuary all in one. And it might just be the key to solving a perplexing conservation challenge.
Scientists and conservationists have long grappled with how to best protect highly mobile animals, like sharks, that roam across massive areas. The solution, though, might be less about scale and more about super-habitats, according to Yannis Papastamatiou, an FIU associate professor of biological sciences and marine researcher in the Institute of Environment. A little more than half a mile-long, the Fakarava channel supports a large population of approximately 500 grey reef sharks. All the major behaviors of their life can take place in the channel including mating, having babies and even cleaning, according to new research published in Biological Conservation.
"By safeguarding these unique corridors, we could protect a disproportionately large number of sharks and ensure the continuity of their entire life cycle in a relatively small area," Papastamatiou said.
Through a combination of underwater observation and high-tech tracking tags called biologgers, the researchers documented the sharks using the channel for nearly every critical behavior. They were observed foraging for food and resting in tidal currents, things the scientists already knew were common activities in the channel. They also observed females with fresh mating wounds, mating behavior, and very young sharks swimming around.
