Pre-print of new paper available, a case study of sharks in Fiji , based on the results of the Great Fiji Shark Count.
More info here…Results of Three Years of the Great Fiji Shark Count, April 2015
Over the past 3 years, dive operators across Fiji & their diving & snorkelling guests have been recording their Shark, Ray & Turtle sightings over the months of April & November. Thanks to those dedicated divers, we now have some interesting facts to share about Shark populations in Fiji.
Results on Feeding (Baited) Dives ~ 3 years ~ 2012-2013-2014
Average Numbers of animals seen per dive during each count
Shark numbers were ten times more than seen on non-feed dives.
Overall populations appear to be increasing slightly.
Many of the baited feeding dives in Fiji involve large numbers of Bull Sharks which are known to have seasonal breeding patterns, reflected in lower shark numbers every November and higher numbers every April.
Ray and Turtle sightings on the feed sites are infrequent, and numbers generally low.More info here…
Results on Non-Feeding Dives ~ 3 years ~ 2012-2013-2014
Average Numbers of animals per dive during each count
Over the years, across Fiji, divers have seen an average of 1.22 to 2.03 Sharks on every dive, plus one Ray and one Turtle every 5 to 10 dives.
Shark sightings varied year by year, but the general trend appears stable or slightly increasing.
Ray and Turtle sightings appear to be very stable.More info here…
April 2012 Preliminary Great Fiji Shark Count results
Preliminary results of the Great Fiji Shark Count, April 2012
In the month of April, 3,693 divers recorded their shark sightings during 855 dives.
The average diver had done 458 dives in Fiji (many were local divemasters), indicating that their observations were very reliable.
During those dives, 12,073 shark sightings, of 11 species, were recorded, plus 5 species of ray, and 2 species of turtles.More info here…