Shark Trust

[Paul D]

Received the following.

 

======================

RE: Shark Trust and Heritage Lottery Fund angler recording project.

 

 

The Shark Trust, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is currently initiating a project with the angling community of the south west to record the shark, skate and ray biodiversity of the region. For the project, we are asking charter boats and individual anglers to record the species of sharks, skates and rays they encounter and in which areas they are found. The data will be made accessible to local communities through Biodiversity Records Centres where it will help to bolster understanding of inshore shark populations. The information supplied will be handled sensitively and will not be used in a manner that will enable the identification of specific marks.

 

 

 

The ultimate goal of this project is to ensure a sustainable future for the regions marine ecosystems and the sea angling sector. The Shark Trust supports the angling community, where best practice is followed, and recognises the sports importance to the economy of the south west. While we realise the importance of the knowledge anglers hold to marine management, we also know that they are constantly being asked to record their catches for different projects. We feel that this project is particularly important due to the massive declines that have been seen in the number and size of most sharks, skates and rays being caught. Understanding these declines is vital to reversing them.

 

 

 

If you would like to get involved or would like more information, please contact me at rich.hurst@sharktrust.org or on 01752 672020. More information about the project can be found at Shark trust Project. If you would like to know more about the Shark Trust and our activities, please visit the website at www.sharktrust.org. Please feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone who may be interested in the project.

 

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Rich Hurst

 

Conservation Assistant