Final Report 2019: Campaign Updates and results of field research with Fins Attached on board M/V Sharkwater (June-December 2019)
Alex Antoniou, Ph.D. Founder and CEO Fins Attached Marine Research and Conservation
Randall Arauz Marine Conservation Policy Advisor Fins Attached Marine Research and Conservation
December 2019 All research activities in Cocos Island National Park were carried out under Research Permits 2019-I-ACMC-06, 2019-I-ACMC-09, 2019-I-ACMC-10, and SINAC-DR-115-ACMC- 2019, issued by the authorities of the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC, acronym in Spanish), whereas research activities held in the southern Nicoya Peninsula were carried out under Research Permit ACT-OR-DR-022-19, issued by the authorities of the Tempisque Conservation Area (ACT, acronym in Spanish), both of the National System of Protected Areas (SINAC), in a formal collaboration with our partner in science the Endangered Marine Species Rescue Center of Costa Rica (CREMA - Costa Rica).
Invited research partners:
This acoustic monitoring and tracking project is ascribed to the Ocean Tracking Network of Dalhousie University:
Special thanks to our sponsors:
December 2019 Highlights 2019
Publication of 4 peer reviewed articles in prestigious academic magazines:
• Fourriére, M., J. J. Alvarado, J. Cortés, M. H. Taylor, A. A. Ayala-Bocos, J. C. Azofeifa- Solano, R. Arauz, M. Heidemeyer, A. López-Garro, I. Zanella, M. Wolff. 2019. Energy flow structure and role of keystone groups in shallow water environments in Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, Eastern Tropical Pacific. Ecological Modelling 396 (2019) 74–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.01.004 • Nalesso, E., A. Hearn, O. Sosa-Nishizaki, T. Steiner, A. Antoniou, A. Reid, S. Bessudo, G. Soler, P. Klimley, F. Lara, J. T. Ketchum, & R. Arauz. 2019. Movements of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) at Cocos Island, Costa Rica and between oceanic islands in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. PLoS ONE 14(3): e0213741. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213741. • Arauz, R., E. J. Chávez, E. M. Hoyos-Padilla, and A. D. Marshall. 2019. First record of the reef manta ray, Mobula alfredi, from the eastern Pacific. Marine Biodiversity Records (2019) 12:3 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41200-019-0162-9 Queiroz, N., N.E. Humphries, A. Cuoto, M. Vedor…R. Arauz… and 149 authors. 2019. Global spatial risk assessment of sharks under the footprint of fisheries. Nature. July. 572 (7770)1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1444-4
Cooperative Agreement: After over one year of negotiations, Fins Attached Marine Research and Conservation obtained the signature of a Cooperative Agreement for 5 years with the Ministry of Environment to facilitate the operation of research vessel Sharkwater in Costa Rica: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xKL2UNt8haVmh0zMc3t7H2Nol1DVgTmB
Influence on Public Opinion:
• Delivered a petition signed by 54,000 citizens to President Carlos Alvarado, calling on the promulgation of sharks as wildlife. https://amprensa.com/2019/03/mas-de-54-mil-personas-de-todo-el-mundo-exigen-a- presidente-tico-salvar-tiburon-martillo/?fbclid=IwAR3NvxMQ4O3476tfZs8S4kb- 7WPlsuyaCcl6TUACsaP1-jf4qIFuDwoKRHc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oJmIJifB2E&feature=youtu.be • Exposed attempt to export hammerhead shark fins illegally in suitcases: https://www.nacion.com/sucesos/judiciales/oij-investiga-dos-intentos-por-exportar-aletas- de/CF6KZ6YLW5BRZMPWFTFHTTMCIU/story/?fbclid=IwAR2j3Sgu6uEfLfYi7N0_6EFwscPrMnh4Q kCnc20IORuVQkXR7WQ_CZClE-A • Published Opinion Editorial in La Nación, for International Wildlife Day. “Sharks Are Wildlife!” https://www.nacion.com/opinion/foros/tiburones-sin-motivo-para- celebrar/L6TRQC7CM5C5VKORRSQJMNCUIA/story/ • Published Opinion Editorial in Diario Extra, a rebuttal of an Opinion Editorial by the President of the Longline Association: http://www.diarioextra.com/Noticia/detalle/390359/la-verdad-es-que-los-tiburones-son-vida- silvestre
December 2019 Policy Campaign Updates.
The main issue we are battling right now is the promulgation of sharks not being wildlife in May of 2017, an action that stripped the Ministry of Environment of its authority over threatened and endangered shark species, which deserve and need the protections granted by the Wildlife Conservation Law, and delivered this authority to the Fisheries Institute.
We have tackled this issue on two fronts:
Together with a coalition of Costa Rican NGOs (Sea Shephard-Costa Rica, Unidos Por Los Tiburones, Tiburones Vivos, and the official Youth Council), we have been meeting members of the Environment Commission of the Costa Rican Congress to inform them on the need to return wildlife status to threatened and endangered sharks. Our formal proposal was submitted to the Environment Commission on October 15, 2019 (Figure 1). Figure 1. Coalition of NGOs at the Costa Rican On December 17, the Environment Congress, submitting a bill promulgating that sharks are Commission announced the bill was wildlife. accepted for official analysis. Now, we must provide the congressmen with the best information available on the status of sharks in the region, for the bill’s approval by the Environment Commission, which would then enable it to proceed for a Plenary vote to become a law. If successful, this process could take a year and a half.
In close tandem with Walter Brenes and his firm Energy Law, we filed suit and initiated a judicial process against the decree that promulgated sharks aren’t wildlife in September of 2017. Our day in Court has been scheduled in January of 2021, slightly over a year from now. In an attempt to force a resolution on the matter, a suit was filed against the Fisheries Institute for actions that we consider are contrary to a precautionary measure in favor of hammerhead sharks issued by the Court in May of 2018. Last November 8 however, the Court ruled no damage was being done to hammerhead sharks, and thus dismissed this case in particular. We are preparing an appeal.
Letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service Together with international NGOs Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Marviva, collectively submitted the following comments to provide information for the 5-year status review of the scalloped hammerhead (SHH) shark (Sphyrna lewini). This is part of our strategy to generate the information needed for hammerhead sharks to eventually be listed under Appendix I of CITES. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1joIsgHoIg641tin_i27UiFPuXlAaGlTb
Letter to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Sent a letter to the MSC regarding their certification of longline fisheries where shark finning events are known to occur. https://drive.google.com/open?id=14Rsvdo7Ki1IyX0WGgxq5O-hn_4I8igxk
December 2019 CITES Issues: Shark fin stockpiles, “in transit” shark fins.
Fins Attached had intended to participate in the 18th Conference of the Parties (CoP 18) of CITES, originally planned to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from May 23 to June 3 of 2019. Unfortunately, the venue was changed, along with dates due to security reasons, to Geneva, Switzerland, from August 17 to 28 of 2019. This change made our participation impossible, despite which we still actively worked remotely on issues of our interest, mainly the stockpile and “in transit” issues. Our intention was to modify the IUCN Resolution Conf. 12.6 Conservation and Management of Sharks, so that it would address these issues and have countries take measures, such as declaring stockpiles and checking “in transit” shark fin cargos. Peru was going to be to the country to put this motion on the table, and we provided all the support possible to their delegation prior to the meeting, working with the NRDC, Marviva, Oceana, Widlife Defenders and CREMA-Costa Rica. Through the coalition, we aided the government of Peru in the development of their position statement, called the Declaration of Peru. Randall Arauz introduced the Declaration of Peru to Guatemala and Costa Rica and obtained their official support. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SmVAG1W9CiMHKv_KrjpfeEsEPpUJM0IZ
Then, we jointly elaborated an NGO position statement to be distributed widely at the CoP XVII, supporting Peru’s statement. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GrYpYKY1HIUFT-aRUb4YmG6FMBP0co2T
The process was long, and frustrating. Efforts were thwarted by fisheries nations claiming CITES is not the place to discuss implementation. In the end, we were obtained a statement by the Secretariat that a CITES implementation workshop would be held before the next CoP in 2022. Not a total victory, but the issues will now be properly addressed.
Process to obtain a resolution supporting a CITES Appendix I listing for hammerhead sharks during the next IUCN World Conservation Congress, at is session in Marseille, France, June 11-19, 2020:
Fins Attached is convinced that all international commerce of hammerhead shark products must be banned through an Appendix I listing, at the next CITES World Conservation Congress (WCC) roughly three years from now. In order to support this process, CREMA announced it would submit a motion to list hammerhead sharks under CITES Appendix I at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in June of 2020. Unfortunately, while seeking the support of the shark conservation community, we ran into opposition by key members of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group. The main concern is that we should focus efforts on obtaining an Appendix II listing for blue sharks in 2022, or an Appendix I listing for sawfish, leaving a potential Appendix I listing for hammerhead sharks in 2025. Due to this opposition it would be unlikely to obtain the votes needed at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, so we finally decided not to submit and missed the deadline.
However, the IUCN recently announced that hammerhead sharks were reclassified and are now considered a Critically Endangered species. With this new and impelling information generated after the deadline for proposed motions, it is now possible for us to submit the motion prior to the meeting even if we didn’t meet the deadline. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MgkADzW1SF2JBvM0l5bGsg8OA80kUpBT
December 2019 M/Y Sharkwater Field Activities
Cocos Island Expedition. June 6 – 16, 2019 The first expedition to Cocos Island was held in collaboration with AquaSub Scuba Diving Center of Toronto, Canada. Other than our usual shark tagging and acoustic monitoring servicing activities, we also facilitated the research work of Tatiana Araya, a MSc thesis student with the University of Costa Rica’s Center for Marine Research (CIMAR). The title of her research project is “Distribution and trophic ecology of marine predators at a remote and relatively pristine tropical island from the Eastern Pacific Ocean.” This study is based on stable isotope analysis, and thus requires tissue samples from specimens throughout the food chain. Fins Attached and the Sharkwater vessel assisted by taking her to all the dive sites for collection of tissue samples. Our commitment was to specifically assist in the collection of tissue samples from elasmobranchs. Furthermore, every evening one of the dive skiffs would collect plankton samples to complement her study. This is the second time Fins Attached has aided Tatiana, who still has one more year of field work to complete.
During this expedition we serviced all the acoustic receivers around Cocos and were able to deploy three acoustic tags. Two were deployed externally on scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) by means of a pole spear. For the third tag, the team caught a hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), which is an ever-increasing rarity, but nice treat, nonetheless. It has been four years since this monitoring program last caught a sea turtle. This one was duly tagged with external inconel tags and an acoustic tag attached externally to the carapace (Table 1). Expedition participants decided to name the hawksbill sea turtle “Snowflake”.
Table 1. Date, tag ID, tagging site, species, and additional morphometrics, of sharks and turtles tagged in Cocos Island during the June 6-16 expedition. Date Tag ID Site Species CCL Weight Left tag Right tag 12-06-19 21790 Dirty Rock Hammerhead 12-06-19 21784 Manuelita Coral Hawksbill 68.9 30 PE 834 PE 835 14-06-19 21787 Dirty Rock Hammerhead
Snowflake was later reported in the Manuelita Coral Garden, Carlos Hiller, on July 18 of 2019 (Figure 1),
As a collaboration to Tatiana’s research, seven video transects were recorded by researchers and citizen scientists covering the three focus environments (Bay, coastal reef, Islet or pinnacle) and 115 tissue samples were collected from 13 sites and 21 species- groups representing different trophic levels according to the Figure 1. Hawksbill sea turtle “Snowflake”, reobserved project objectives (Table 2). in the Manuelita Coral Garden, July 18, 2019.
December 2019 Table 2. Tissue samples collected at each focus environment in Coco´s Island, during the June 6- 16, 2019 Expedition
Trophic Species Common name Bay Coast Islet - Total group reef pinnacle PP Phytoplankton Phytoplankton 3 2 2 7 Turf Turf 7 3 6 16 CP Bivalve Bivalve 2 3 4 9 Diadema mexicanum Sea urchin 2 0 4 6 Porites lobata Coral 3 5 8 16 Pocillopora sp. Coral 0 1 2 3 Zooplankton Zooplankton 3 2 2 7 CS Cantherhines Whitespotted 0 0 1 1 dumerilii filefish Cephalopholis Creole fish 0 0 1 1 colonus Kyphosus elegans Sea chub 2 0 0 2 Kyphosus vaigiensis Sea chub 1 0 0 1 Phataria unifascialis Sea star 2 0 2 4 Scarus rubrovioloceus Parrot fish 0 0 2 2 CT Aetobatus laticeps Eagle ray 0 0 1 1 Caranx caballus Green Jack 1 0 0 1 Lutjanus jordani Snapper 5 0 0 5 Lutjanus viridis Blue and gold 0 0 1 1 snapper Sphyrna lewini Hammerhead 0 0 1 1 shark Taeniura meyeni Marble ray 0 0 12 11 Triaenodon obesus Whitetip reef 2 2 15 19 shark Tylosurus pacificus Needlefish 1 0 0 1 Grand Total 34 18 60 115
December 2019 One manta was observed on June 12, swimming around Dirty Rock. Even though we didn’t tag the manta nor was a tissue sampled obtained, a good belly shot was taken for photo ID (Figure 2). We are currently working in collaboration with the Marine Megafauna Foundation and their Manta Photo ID data base, through the collaboration of MSc thesis student Nestor Rago, from the National University of Costa Rica.
Cocos Island Expedition: Figure 2. Manta ray (Mobula birostris) June 19 – 29, 2019 observed at Dirty Rock, June 12, 2019
During the second expedition to Cocos Island, we supported the work of Mexican Ph.D. thesis student Juan Pedro Rodíguez, and active collaborator with the Mexican NGO Pelagios Kajunja. Pete, as he is also known, is studying hammerhead shark regional genetics. For this, it is necessary to obtain tissue samples from adult aggregation sites, such as Cocos Island, as well as from coastal shark nurseries. We were also accompanied by Nestor Rago, a MSc thesis student from Costa Rica’s National University (UNA) studying the use of photo ID for manta ray ID. Nestor is currently assisting CREMA by organizing archives with manta ray sightings provided by the dive industry.
In total, we obtained 13 tissue samples, four from eagle rays (Aetobatus sp), four from hammerhead sharks (S. lewini), three from Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis), one white tip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) and one whale shark (Rhincodon typus) (Table 3).
Table 3. Date, species, sex and site of tissue samples obtained during the June 19 to 29 Cocos Island expedition.
Date Species Sexo Site 21-06-19 Eagle ray Unknown Manuelita Channel 21-06-19 Eagle ray Unknown Manuelita Channel 22-06-19 Hammerhead Female Dirty Rock 24-06-19 Whale shark Female Chatham Bay 24-06-19 Eagle ray Unknown Manuelita Coral South 24-06-19 Eagle ray Unknown Manuelita Coral South 24-06-19 Hammerhead Female Manuelta Coral North 25-06-19 White tip reef Female Dirty Rock 25-06-19 Galapagos Female Manuelta Out 25-06-19 Galapagos Female Dirty Rock 25-06-19 Galapagos Male Dirty Rock 27-06-19 Hammerhead Female Dirty Rock 27-06-19 Hammerhead Female Manuelta Out
December 2019
In addition to the tissue samples, two acoustic tags were deployed externally by means of pole spears, one on a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) (Figure 3) and one on a manta ray (Mobula birostris) (Table 4). A belly shot was also obtained from the manta ray for photo ID.
Whale shark with an acoustic tag (under dorsal fin). Figure 3.
Table 4. Date, site species, sex and acoustic tag ID, deployed during the June 19 to 29 Cocos Island expedition. Date Site Species Sex # ID 24-06-19 Chatham Whale shark Female 21789 26-06-19 Alcyone Giant manta Female 21788
Costa Rica Coastal Expedition, August 3-12.
This was a special expedition, as we had several corporate sponsors on board, who came to see M/Y Sharkwater in action! Furthermore, we were accompanied by interns Anthony Fila of Fins Attached, Edna de la Llata and Elpis Chaves of CREMA, and Isaac Chaves of the Center for Marine Research of the University of Costa Rica. This coastal expedition visited the following sites, from North to South: Bahía Cuajiniquil, Bahía Matapalito and Bahía Santa Elena in the Santa Elena Marine Management Area, the Bat Islands in the Guanacaste Marine National Park, the Catalina Islands, Caletas National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Coyote, and the Cabo Blanco Absolute Biological Reserve.
Three sea turtles, two hawksbills and one green turtle, were caught by hand, with the assistance of research team members of Equipo Tora Carey in Bahía Matapalito. No turtles were caught with the turtle net. Bahía Matapalito is the only site where we caught sea turtles during this expedition. Date of capture was recorded, and all specimens were identified by species, sexed, measured in cm (CCL, CCW), weighed in kg (W), and external Inconel flipper tags and internal PIT tags were recorded.
Table 5. Date, Species, Left and Right tag ID, tagging site, and morphometrics of two hawksbill turtles and one green turtle, tagged in Bahía Matapalito in the Santa Elena Marine Management Area. CCL CCL Left Right Date Species Site Sex end btw CCW W kg tag tag PIT tag 5/8/2019 Hawksbill Matapalito inmat 40 38 35 5.9 SE2185 SE2184 *602*119*521 5/8/2019 Hawksbill Matapalito inmat 55 54 46.5 15.4 PE436 PE437 *840*520*858 5/8/2019 Green Matapalito inmat 64-5 63.5 61.5 33.q NZ779 SE2186 *840*520*858
December 2019 Hawksbill turtle with external tags number PE436 – PE437 is a long-time resident of Bahía Matapalito (Figure 4). It was first tagged on October 4 of 2015 and has been sighted 5 times over the last 4 yours, showing a carapace length and width growth of approximately 5 cm and 4 cm respectively, while adding on at least 4.5 kg (Table 6). Growth rate information for hawksbill sea turtles in the wild is extremely rare and enhances the importance of Matapalito as a rookery for hawksbill sea turtles.
Figure 4. Member of Equipo Tora-Carey measures turtle PE436-437 with assistance of
a Fins Attached volunteer (Anya Enriquez)
Table 6. Tagging and Reobservation dates for hawksbill sea turtle PE436-PE437, including morphometric and weight information over 4 years in Bahía Matapalito, Bahía Santa Elena Marine Management Area, Costa Rica.
Date CCL end CCL btw CCW W Note 4/10/2015 50 42.5 11.00 Tagging date 2/2/2017 51 50 43 12.50 reobservation 5/7/2018 55 55 45.5 16.15 reobservation 4/3/2019 54.5 54 46.5 15.00 reobservation 2/6/2019 56 55 47 15.80 reobservation 5/8/2019 55 54 46.5 15.40 reobservation
During this expedition we tagged 3 giant mantas with external acoustic VR16 tags using pole spears, and three juvenile bull sharks with acoustic tags that were inserted into the bodies of the animals through a surgical prodedure, which were caught in the mouth of the Bongo River during small scale scientific monitoring longline operation (Table 7).
Table 7. Date, Tag ID, common name, sex and site tagged for 6 specimens tagged during the Costa Rican coastal trip (August 3 to 12, 2019).
Date Tag ID Common name Sex Site 6/8/2019 19123 Giant manta ray U Bat Islands 8/8/2019 21782 Giant manta ray U Bat Islands 9/8/2019 19117 Giant manta ray U Carolina "La Pared" 10/8/2019 52602 Bull Shark F Bongo River 10/8/2019 52605 Bull Shark F Bongo River 10/8/2019 13122 Bull Shark M Bongo River
December 2019 Two longlines with 20 #8 and #10 circles each, were used. During experimental longline operations in front of the Bongo River. The longlines were set during the afternoon of August 8th. 12 speciems were caught, most elasmobranchs (3 bullsharks, 2 cownose rays, 1 longtail stingray, 1 blacktip shark, and 1 eagle ray), but including 3 Pacific crevalle jacks and 1 triple tail (Figure 5). The bullsharks were all juveniles, of less then 1 m of Total Length (TL) (Table 8).
Figure 5. Isaac Chaves of the University of Costa Rica, wrangles a whiptail stingray during experimental longline operations.
Table 8. Date, common name, sex, Disk Width (for rays) and Total Length, for specimens caught during experimental longline operations in the mouth of the Bongo River. Costa Rican coastal trip (August 3 to 12, 2019).
Date Common name Sex DW cm TL cm 10/8/2019 Longtail stingray ND 62 60 10/8/2019 Bull shark M n/a 84 10/8/2019 Bull shark F n/a 98 10/8/2019 Blacktip shark F n/a 84 10/8/2019 Pacific crevalle jack ND n/a 65 10/8/2019 Pacific crevalle jack ND n/a 72 10/8/2019 Pacific crevalle jack ND n/a 70 10/8/2019 Bull shark F n/a 93 10/8/2019 Cownose ray F 77 114 10/8/2019 Triple Tail ND n/a 57.5 10/8/2019 Cownose ray F 71 81 10/8/2019 Eagle ray F 90 n/a Cocos Island Expedition: September 2 to 14, 2019.
This trip was a little longer than usual, because we had scheduled to visit Las Gemelas Seamount, located 72 km southwest from Cocos, for two days to recover two acoustic receivers that were deployed there in March of 2018 at a depth of 180 m, and it was necessary to recover them before the battery drained. Since the batteries have a life of 18 months, we were just within our time frame. Other than recovering the receivers, our plan was to carry out fishing operations in Las Gemelas. However, due to harsh weather conditions, we decided to stay in Las Gemelas for only one day.
Unfortunately, we are unable to retrieve one of the deep receivers at Las Gemelas. Apparently, the batteries of the one of the receivers drained and we weren’t able to “speak” to it with our
December 2019 transponder and order its release. We are now studying ways to recover the lost receiver, which will require the use of an underwater drone.
The receiver that we did recover contained relevant information on the movement of a blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) (Figure 6). The specimen is a female of 1.62 cm TL, tagged internally on May 8 of 2015, at Dirty Rock. This individual was later detected by the acoustic receiver (5 detections) on April 22 of 2019. Figure 6. Researchers Jeffry Madrigal and Elpis Chaves of Thus far, our research team has CREMA, with Randall Arauz, carrying the VRAR recovered after detected the movements of 19 months underwater at a depth of 180 m at Las Gemelas. hammerhead and blacktip sharks to Las Gemelas. We expect to have more relevant information in 2020, when we recover the lost acoustic receiver.
During this expedition we tagged 3 sharks (2 Galapagos sharks and 1 hammerhead shark) externally with VR16 acoustic transmitter by means of a pole spear (Table 9).
Table 9. Date, site, common name, sex, and Acoustic Tag ID for sharks tagged during Cocos Island Expedition September 2 to 14 of 2019.
Date Site Species Sex Tag # ID 7/9/2019 Punta María Galapagos F 19118 12/9/2019 Coral Garden Galapagos M 19121 14/9/2019 Dirty Rock Hammerhead F 19126
Furthermore, fishing operations were held using a modified longline, with 20 #14 circle hooks, in Chatham Bay from the back of bow of the M/V Sharkwater, 500 m away from the dive sites. During these operations we were able to catch and internally tag 7 sharks (2 Galapagos, 3 blacktips, and two silvertips (Table 10)
December 2019 Table 10. Date, site, common name, sex, and Acoustic Tag ID for sharks tagged during Cocos Island Expedition September 2 to 14 of 2019.
Date Species TL cm Sex Tag ID 10/9/2019 Galapagos 255 F 5891 11/9/2019 Blacktip 196 F 5893 12/9/2019 Silvertip 183 M 5895 12/9/2019 Blacktip 221 F 5890 12/9/2019 Galapagos 218 F 5889 12/9/2019 Blacktip 194 F 5892 12/9/2019 Silvertip 190 M 5894
In total, 72 tissue samples were collected as a collaboration for Tatiana Araya’s thesis study with the University of Costa Rica, from plankton to bony fish and elasmobranchs, sourced from around the island. Most samples belong to species of bony fish, whitetip reef sharks and marbled rays (Figure 7).
Cirrípedo 1
Peces óseos 19
Tiburón punta blanca 19
Raya moteada 13
Tiburón martillo 3
Zooplancton 3
Fitoplancton 3
Tiburón tigre 3
Tiburón punta negra 1
Tiburón Galápagos 4
Raya águila 3
0 5 10 15 20
Figure 7. Number of tissue simples obtained by species: barnacles, bony fish, whitetip reef sharks, marbled rays, hammerhead sharks, zooplankton, phitoplancton, tiger sharks, blacktip sharks, Galapagos sharks, eagle rays. Cocos Island Expedition, September 2-14, 2019.
December 2019 Cocos Island Expedition, September 29 to October 7. Tiger Shark Expedition!
This special expedition was our “Tiger Shark” Expedition. For the second time this year we provided a space for MSc student Tatiana Araya to collect the tissue samples needed to finish her thesis field work. We also enjoyed the participation of James Ketchum of the Mexican non- profit Pelagios Kakunja, and Eduardo Espinoza from the Ecuadorean Park Service. On this expedition we had a strong focus on tiger sharks, hoping to deploy as many external acoustic tags as possible tags to tiger sharks, and on catching at least two tiger sharks to deploy a video camera and a satellite transmitter on their dorsal fins.
We deployed 8 external acoustic tags during this expedition, 5 on tiger sharks, and 1 on a hammerhead shark by means of a pole spear, as well as 1 tiger shark and one galapagos shark that were caught during experimental fishing operations, using the modified longline described earlier (Table 11).
Table 11. Date, site, common name, sex, and Acoustic Tag ID and tagging method, for sharks tagged during Cocos Island Expedition September 29 to October 7 of 2019.
Date Site Species Sex Tag ID Method 1/10/2019 Channel Tiger shark F 19125 Pole spear 2/10/2019 Manuelita out Tiger shark F 19120 Pole spear 4/10/2019 Manuelita out Tiger shark F 19124 Fishing 4/10/2019 Manuelita out Hammerhead F 19119 Pole spear 4/10/2019 Manuelita out Tiger shark F 59726 Pole spear 5/10/2019 Chatham Bay Galapagos F 59728 Fishing 6/10/2019 Manuelita out Tiger shark F 19122 Pole spear 7/10/2019 Manuelita out Tiger shark U 59730 Pole spear
Additional to the external acoustic tag, Tiger shark ID-19124 was equipped with a CAT-Cam (Customized Animal Tracking Solutions), which was attached to the dorsal fin with a clamp. This maneuver required restraining the specimen next to a hard-bottom skiff. Two professional fishers wrangled the shark and brought it next to the skiff. The shark was restrained by keeping the hook in its mouth and restraining tail movements with a rope. Tonic immobility is induced by turning the specimen belly side up. The boat remained in constant slow movement to Figure 8. Tiger shark ID 19124, restrained and keep the gills flushed with fresh water. equipped with a CAT-cam.
This study is one of the very first to utilize inter-animal telemetry to quantify social associations in free ranging tiger sharks. Our study uses novel technology to provide insights into the social lives of tiger sharks when they are in Cocos Island, increasing our understanding of the species’ life cycle in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
December 2019 We obtained 7 tissue samples from sharks, 4 during experimental fishing operations (1 tiger shark, 1 Galapagos shark, 1 white tip reef shark, and 1 silvertip), and three by means of a pole spear (2 hammerheads and one tiger shark) (Table 12).
Table 12. Date, site, common name, sex, Vial #, and collection method, for sharks tagged during Cocos Island Expedition September 29 to October 7 of 2019.
Date Site Species Sex Vial # Method 4/10/2019 Channel Tiger shark F CR001 Fishing 4/10/2019 Manuelita out Hammerhead F CR002 Pole spear 5/10/2019 Manuelita out Hammerhead F CR003 Pole spear 5/10/2019 Chatham Bay Galapagos F CR004 Fishing 6/10/2019 Manuelita out White tip reef F CR005 Fishing 6/10/2019 Channel Silvertip F CR006 Fishing 7/10/2019 Manuelita out Tiger shark F CR007 Pole spear
Furthermore, 72 tissue samples were collected as part a collaboration for MSc student Tatiana Araya, including the tiger shark and whitetip reef shark mentioned above 8 (Table 13).
Table 13. Trophic group, common name, species, and number of tissue samples per habitat, for 72 tissue samples obtained during the Cocos Island Expedition September 29 to October of 2019.
Expedition Trophic Common Species Bay Coast Island Grand group name reef Total Sep 29th - PP Phytoplankton Phytoplankton 1 1 1 3 Oct 07th Turf Turf 5 0 8 13 PC Bivalve Bivalve 1 0 5 6 Coral Pocillopora 0 0 5 5 Coral Porites lobata 4 0 8 12 Zooplankton Zooplankton 1 1 1 3 SC Exocoetidae Exocoetidae 1 0 0 1 Sea chub Kyphosus 1 0 0 1 vaigiensis TC Bluefin Caranx 4 7 4 15 trevally melampygus Galapagos Carcharhinus 1 0 0 1 shark galapagensis Rainbow Elagatis 1 0 0 1 runner bipinnulata Flag grouper Epinephelus 1 0 0 1 labriformis Tiger shark Galeocerdo 0 0 1 1 cuvier Whipper Lutjanus 1 0 0 1 snapper jordani
December 2019 Marble ray Taeniura 0 0 1 1 meyeni Whitetip reef Triaenodon 0 0 5 5 shark obesus Tuna Thunnus 1 0 0 1 albacares Needle fish Tylosurus 0 1 0 1 pacificus Total 23 10 39 72
Cocos Island Expedition, November 30 to December 10.
During this expedition we were accompanied by, Brock Cahill, Maike Heidemeyer, and Regina Domingo, of Sharkwater Extinction, as well as by CREMA intern Carmen Mejías.
All of our acoustic receivers were serviced (information downloaded, and batteries changed), with the exception of the receivers at Shark Fin Rock and Dos Amigos Pequeño. The receiver at Shark Fin Rock was just impossible to get to. This is Cocos Island’s most remote site and requires perfect weather to get to and dive safely. Unfortunately, the receiver at Dos Amigos Pequeño was missing! We have no idea what may have occurred to it, as we can’t even find the concrete anchor! We already coordinated actions with our colleague Todd Steiner of Turtle Island Restoration Network, to replace the receiver.
We deployed 5 external acoustic tags by means of a pole spear, 3 galapagos sharks, 1 tiger shark, and 1 giant manta (Table 14). Figure 9. Moments before Galapagos shark ID 59727 is equipped with an acoustic tag.
Table 13. Trophic group, common name, species, and number of tissue samples per habitat, for 72 tissue samples obtained during the Cocos Island Expedition November 30 to December 10 of 2019. Date Site Species Sex Tag ID 4/12/2019 Dos Amigos Peq Galapagos F 59731 4/12/2019 Manuelita Out Tiger shark F 59729 5/12/2019 Punta María Galapagos F 59727 5/12/2019 Punta María Galapagos F 59733 6/12/2019 Manuelita Out Giant Manta F 59732
December 2019 We also obtained 9 tissue samples using pole spears, from 4 hammerhead sharks, 3 eagle rays (Figure 10)., and 2 tiger sharks. All samples were obtained at the same site, Manuelita Out (Table 14).
Figure 10. Moments before a tissue
sample is obtained from an eagle ray
Table 14. Trophic group, common name, species, and number of tissue samples per habitat, for 72 tissue samples obtained during the Cocos Island Expedition November 30 to December 10 of 2019.
Date Site Species Sex Vial # 7/12/2019 Manuelita Out Hammerhead H CR008 8/12/2019 Manuelita Out Hammerhead H CR009 8/12/2019 Manuelita Out Hammerhead H CR010 8/12/2019 Manuelita Out Tiger Shark H CR011 8/12/2019 Manuelita Out Hammerhead H CR012 8/12/2019 Manuelita Out Tiger Shark H CR013 8/12/2019 Manuelita Out Eagle Ray ND CR014 8/12/2019 Manuelita Out Eagle Ray ND CR015 8/12/2019 Manuelita Out Eagle Ray ND CR016
Looking Ahead - 2020:
We are going to have a busy 2020. On the policy side, we will continue pushing our bill in the Costa Rican Congress to return wildlife status to sharks. Furthermore, we will continue our litigation process to return wildlife status to sharks as a Plan B.
Participate in the IUCN World Conservation Congress in France (July of 2020) to push for the approval of a resolution calling for the listing of hammerhead sharks under Appendix I of CITES in 2022.
Publish at least two peer reviewed papers on tiger sharks in academic journals.
Strengthen coastal research programs on highly migratory species in Costa Rica, consolidate collaborations with the authorities, academia, and domestic NGO.
December 2019 Carry out 5 expeditions to Cocos Island to tag more sharks and visit Las Gemelas Seamount at least once to recover the lost receiver.
Carry out two international expeditions with Migramar to promote the creation of the Cocos- Galapagos Swimway and the Malpelo Coiba Swimway.
Map seamounts in the region with 3D sonars, as a technical support for authorities of Colombia, Ecuador, and Costa Rica, to expand the boundaries of existent MPAs.
About Fins Attached Fins Attached conducts research, promotes conservation and provides education for the protection of marine ecosystems. Fins Attached believes in the preservation of our world's precious resources and that through the protection of the ocean's apex predators marine ecosystem balance can be maintained for the benefit of all living things on earth. Our organization is comprised of scientists, companies, organizations, and people concerned with the health of the world’s oceans. The scientists that represent Fins Attached range in backgrounds from divers to Ph.D marine biologists. Fins Attached is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Visit www.finsattached.org, or email [email protected].
December 2019