Stories from the Field
A Journey Back in Time with Malaysia’s Fishers
Serena Adam of WWF-Malaysia and Amy Then of University of Malaya traverse coastal Malaysia in search of first-hand fishing tales to plug historical data gaps in our understanding of the country’s dwindling shark and ray populations.
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Searching for sharks and rays of Sharjah’s Pearl
Mona Möller and the marine conservation team from Emirates Nature-WWF survey unique seascapes of the Sir Bu Nair Island in search of sharks and rays – read on to learn what they found 55 baited video deployments later.
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Seeking shark bycatch solutions in Gujarat
For shark conservationists, the Indian state of Gujarat is an enigma. Situated in the country’s north-western corner, Gujarat registers some of India’s lowest fish consumption levels, but ranks among its highest contributors to shark fishing.
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Solving Baja California’s manta ray mystery
Why did the giant manta rays (Mobula birostris) of La Reina suddenly vanish from the Gulf of California after 2003? Just as important – and puzzling – is why have they suddenly returned?
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Tracing shark DNA from sea to plate in Ecuador
WWF Ecuador recently helped the South American nation to address one of fishery management’s biggest challenges – tracing marine species from sea to plate. They did this by assisting with the opening of a shark DNA laboratory to help Ecuador comply with its CITES* commitments related to trade control.
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Playing satellite tag in the Galapagos
Luis, Johan and Bec are members of a WWF hammerhead shark tagging expedition in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and to date, have mostly played tag with the other researchers. But the three are not shirking their responsibilities, nor are they ordinary expedition members. They are the actual sharks that are transmitting their movements for scientific study.
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Seeing the light in reducing wildlife bycatch
A team from WWF Pakistan has been busy testing the use of LED lights in the gillnets of fishing vessels in an attempt to lower the amount of wildlife bycatch such as sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and whales, while increasing the actual target catch.
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Helping preserve sharks and mantas in Komodo National Park
Indonesia’s Komodo National Park is becoming famous for more than watching the legendary lizards. Divers are now getting up close with sharks and mantas as ecotourism grows in popularity.
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Fostering sustainable fishing in Pakistan
Iqrar Mohammad is a 39-year-old Pakistani fishermen who recognises that responsible practices are the way to a sustainable fishery. He is aware that appropriate behaviour by him and his crew today is the surest path to ensuring that their occupation will still exist tomorrow.
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Saying “No” to shark fin
in Hong Kong
WWF-Hong Kong is always looking for new ways to help reduce the consumption and transport of shark fin. And they certainly have their hands full, living and working in the city that accounts for about half of the global shark fin trade every year.
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BRUVing ground for sharks in Malaysia
The quest to find elusive sharks in Malaysia’s Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) will continue another day for Adam Junaidi Payne, WWF-Malaysia’s marine conservation officer in Kudat, Sabah.
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The recovery is on at Tubbataha
Tiger sharks appear to be making a comeback in the Philippines’ Tubbataha reefs area. Six individuals have been identified in recent years after many years of the species not being seen at this diving hotspot located in the northern apex of the Coral Triangle.
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