The Great Fiji Shark Count

Counting Fiji's sharks, rays and turtles

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You are here: Home / Results and data / Why count Sharks in Fiji?

Why count Sharks in Fiji?

It is estimated that globally as many as 73 million sharks are killed every year, and that shark populations have dropped by 70- 80% over the past few years. This is due to commercial fishing for sharks, most of which are thrown away once their fins have been sliced off for sale for shark fin soup.

However it is very hard to collect data  on sharks – because sharks normally spread out along the reefs in deep offshore waters, only a few are seen at any time, and normal fish counting techniques which count numbers of fish in a measured area cannot pick up enough sharks to make realistic assessments of populations.

White tip and black tip reef sharks in FijiThis is where “Citizen Science“ comes into its own; by having many eyes on many reefs, we can collect data from hundreds of observers all across Fiji, and create the first real picture of which sharks live where, and get an idea of real shark numbers.

Getting real data on shark populations is vital for proper management, and The Great Fiji Shark Count is a very important part of getting this data, both for work in Fiji and also to supply information to global surveys.

Future shark counts will be used to record the success of shark protection measures.

Grey reef shark in Fiji

Inshore Sharks

Common Name Latin name
Whitetip Reef Shark Triaenodon obesus
Silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus
Tawny Nurse shark Nebrius ferrugineus
Indo-Pacific lemon shark Negaprion acutidens
Leopard /Zebra shark Stegastoma fasciatum
Blacktip Reef Shark Carcharhinus melanopterus
Grey reef shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
Bull shark Carcharhinus leucas
Tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier
Scalloped Hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini
Great hammerhead shark Sphyrna mokarran
Guitarfish Rhynchobatus sp.

Offshore Sharks

Common Name Latin name
Silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus
Shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus
Silky Shark Carcharhinus falciformis
Blue Shark Prionace glauca
Oceanic Whitetip Shark Carcharhinus longimanus
Great Hammerhead shark Sphyrna mokarran
Tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier
Bronze whaler Carcharhinus brachyurus
Whale shark Rhincodon typus

 

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Welcome to The Great Fiji Shark Count !

Throughout the months of April and November every year, you have the opportunity to help celebrate and record Fiji’s amazing coral reef biodiversity, show you care about our world’s delicate coral reef systems, and have fun, by taking part in the FIJI-WIDE SHARK COUNT!

Easy to do, this is suitable for visitors and locals alike, whether you like to fish, snorkel, or SCUBA dive. We hope that tourists, school children, scientists and all people with an interest in the marine environment will take to the reefs with us to search for the Sharks of Fiji!

The Great Fiji Shark Count will be held across Fiji every April and November every year.

You can do a single count, or take part as many times as you like during that month, so that you cover different reefs. All data will be gratefully accepted!

So, see your resort, watersports operator or travel agent, get your Shark identification materials and dive into the beautiful blue waters of Fiji, to be a part of history!

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Follow us on Twitter

  • RT @MarineEcoFiji: #MarineConservationSociety has released its latest #GoodFishGuide ratings, together with a new ‘Seafood Checker’ tool to… 09:30 October 12, 2022 from TweetDeck
  • RT @MarineEcoFiji: Best Practice #Mangrove Planting For #Fiji – A Discussion Document This review prepared by Dr Dick Watling is founded on… 03:38 July 31, 2021 from TweetDeck
  • RT @MarineEcoFiji: A Mangrove Management Plan for #Fiji Phase 1 - Zonation requirements and a plan for the #mangroves of the Ba, Labasa and… 03:21 July 22, 2021 from TweetDeck

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