14 DAY TRIAL // Fiji's Namena Reserve is teeming with sharks, a team of wildlife researchers says. More precisely, the shark population in these waters is two to four times greater than the one recorded in nearby areas, where locals are still allowed to go fishing.
Specialists say that this recent headcount of the sharks populating the Namena Reserve proves that establishing marine protected areas greatly benefits aquatic biodiversity.
Newswise reports that, for the time being, this marine reserve is Fiji's largest.
It is located close to Vanua Levu Island's southern coastline, and covers 60 square kilometers (roughly 23 square miles).
Interestingly enough, people living in local communities are the ones who have been managing it since 1997, when the marine reserve was established.
The same source informs us that, in order to document the shark population in these waters, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Western Australia used underwater video systems.
These systems allowed them to monitor biodiversity both within the marine reserve's perimeter, and in regions outside this protected area. The monitoring took place over a three-week-long period.
Data collected with the help of video cameras showed that at least five different species of coral reef sharks live in the Namema Reserve.
Researchers suspect that sharks are thriving in these waters because there is plenty of prey to go around, and because they must not compete with fishermen for food.
Commenting on the findings of this investigation, Dr. Caleb McClennen, the current director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Marine Program, states as follows:
“The news from Fiji gives us solid proof that marine reserves can have positive effects on reef shark populations.”
“Shark populations are declining worldwide due to the demand for shark products, particularly fins for the Asian markets. We need to establish management strategies that will protect these ancient predators and the ecosystems they inhabit,” he goes on to say.
A detailed account of this study appears in a recent edition of the journal Coral Reefs.