Researching Sharks to Help Them Thrive

Sharks: An Important Piece in the Ecosystem Puzzle

Many shark species take the top spot on the food web as apex predators, while others function as mid-level predators in almost all marine ecosystems, and some freshwater ones too. They help to maintain the diversity and health of the ecosystems they inhabit. If sharks are thriving, it’s an indicator that the ecosystem is also healthy, hence why sharks are often called “indicator species.”

Further, population growth is relatively slow because it can take years for sharks to mature and reproduce. That, paired with human impacts like overfishing and habitat loss, is causing a decline in many shark populations. Removing sharks, a key piece of the ecosystem puzzle, can bring about complex ecological challenges that researchers are working to understand.

Shedd’s conservation researchers, animal care teams and volunteers are taking the lead in several collaborative projects to better understand and, in turn, help save sharks from extinction. Monitoring shark movements and behavior, reestablishing depleted shark populations and sharing expertise and best practices for their conservation are only a few of the ongoing efforts to better understand sharks and make science-based recommendations for their protection.

Global FinPrint

Launched in 2015, Global FinPrint is the largest reef shark and ray survey in the world. Baited remote underwater video surveys (BRUVS) have recorded animal sightings in nearly 400 reefs in 58 countries and territories in the Western Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Coral Triangle and Pacific Ocean. Volunteers at Shedd have stepped up to review and analyze some of over 20,000 hours of footage. The findings can tell us where sharks are most or least abundant, how sharks influence reef ecosystems and how Marine Protected Areas or "Sanctuaries" impact populations. Conservation researchers like those at Shedd can then make recommendations to global governments on how to best protect sharks and the habitats they rely on.

ReShark StAR Project

Shedd is one of the founding partners in an international initiative to raise and release aquarium-born, endangered zebra sharks in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, to bolster the population in their native range. Shedd experts, including members of our conservation research and animal care and science teams, have lent their decades of expertise in the breeding, hatching, raising and post-release monitoring of zebra shark pups to develop the project and train a dedicated team of in-country caretakers and research scientists.

Shark Ray 360

Shedd Aquarium is a leading member of an emerging international consortium of shark and ray experts focused on creating a global conservation and recovery plan for the critically endangered bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma.) By collaborating on conservation research and centralizing best practices for advancing the health and wellbeing of bowmouth guitarfish in aquariums around the world — including rescued bowmouth guitarfish here at Shedd — this collective is hoping to reduce mounting pressures on this important species and help recover wild populations in their native ranges.

Other collaborative projects where research plays a part include: 

Save Our Seas: Caribbean Reef Shark Genetics Project

• In collaboration with the Field Museum’s Pritzker DNA Lab, scientists at Shedd are working to describe how endangered Caribbean reef shark populations are related and connected across their range through DNA sequencing.

AZA SAFE Shark and Ray

• Shedd’s shark scientists and animal care experts contribute to this effort among zoos and aquariums to work collaboratively to increase knowledge, support and research, and to engage audiences in positive actions for sharks and rays.