Counting sharks using drones

Institute of Zoology London
London, England
BiologyEcology
$104
Raised of $6,440 Goal
2%
Ended on 7/17/16
Campaign Ended
  • $104
    pledged
  • 2%
    funded
  • Finished
    on 7/17/16

About This Project

Many species of sharks are threatened by overfishing, and live far from land and are thus difficult for scientists to monitor. Our research aims to use drones to count sharks at the ocean surface. By comparing shark surface counts from drones with counts from baited cameras deployed in the water we aim to determine if drones can be used to survey large areas of ocean, at very low costs. This would enable us to better assess the status of shark populations, and thus to protect them.

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What is the context of this research?

Drones are increasingly used to study megafauna for research purpose, allowing large areas to be surveyed rapidly and at low costs. For sharks in the open ocean, this is particularly valuable, because individual are both mobile and rare, and of conservation concern. In the context of large marine protected areas, this field is particularly critical, as these large areas require regular monitoring, both during the initial design phase but also in the subsequent period to see if species are recovering (see sampling sharks in the ocean). We have been working in the British Indian Ocean Territory (or Chagos marine reserve), currently the world's largest no-take reserve applying new technology to count sharks in the mid-water.

What is the significance of this project?

Developing survey methods to count sharks in the open ocean is critical for the field of shark conservation. Sharks are threatened by overfishing, and there is an urgent need to determine whether they can be expected to recover in large marine protected areas. There is a dearth in research on this topic because 1) large protected area have only been implemented very recently, and 2) there are few technologies that can be applied in this context. There is therefore an urgent need to develop and apply novel methods than can sample sharks over large areas 'non-extractively'. Chagos is a pristine jewel in the Indian Ocean providing a rare sanctuary for oceanic sharks and is therefore a perfect location to develop drone technology for this purpose.

What are the goals of the project?

The goal of the project is to demonstrate that drones can be used to count oceanic sharks. We plan to do this during our yearly shipbased oceanic surveys in Chagos. As we typically deploy mid-water baited cameras as part of our survey at various open ocean sites around the archipelago, we will deploy the drone whilst the cameras are soaking. This way, we will be able to compare the numbers of sharks seen on the baited cameras with the number to sharks seen on the drones. This experiment would pave the way for using drones on their own in the open ocean, ie from vessels of opportunity, and without the need for baited cameras. This would be a cheap and easily duplicated tool which would be extremely valuable for shark conservation.

Budget

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Drone technology is ever improving so it is likely that new model will be available by the time we commence field work. However we know that a basic and flexible drone like the DJI Matrice 100 comes at around 5000 USD ready to fly. This would enable a basic setup to conduct camera surveys. In addition, its enhanced GPS will allow for highly accurate photogrammetry of oceanic sharks. Photogrammetry will also require a compact camera (Canon G9X). Finally, while we will be very conservative when gauging the condition under which to fly the drone, and will make sure we use only experienced drivers, accidents do happen. We have therefore included a 15% budget item for spare parts.

Meet the Team

Tom Letessier
Tom Letessier
Dr

Affiliates

Zoological Society of London
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Alice Soccodato
Alice Soccodato
PhD

Affiliates

Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
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Team Bio

This team rised thanks to the new idea of using 'remote sensing' (satellites and aerial equipements like drones and airplaines) to describe biodiversity hotspots (zones characterized by the increased presence of different species) in the open ocean. As megafauna like sharks are of primary concerns for conservation, we would like to explore these methods to provide usefull informations for application in management plans.

Tom Letessier

I am a marine ecologist with interests in open-ocean and pelagic ecosystems. I am currently working on pelagic predators, utilising mid-water baited camera technology to inform conservation and management strategies. As part of my research fellowship I have coordinated remote field expeditions in Pitcairn, Chagos, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Shark Bay (Australia), the Timor Sea, and the coastal Skagerrak.

My research is strongly driven by conservation outcomes - many species of tuna and sharks are threatened by overfishing, and understanding their distribution and movement in a dynamic ocean is critical to ensure their protection. I am particularly keen to answer questions regarding the effectiveness of large marine protected areas in protecting threatened species.

Alice Soccodato

I'm a marine biologist with a PhD in Biological Oceanography. My research interests are broadly focused on biophysical interactions and ecological processes in the marine realm, with specific attention tothreatened or commercially important species and fragile habitats to improve conservation efforts. I have experience in biophysical and ecological dynamics controlling biodiversity in the global ocean, fish larval ecology, population genetics, ecotoxicology, marine mammal population and habitat modelling.

Lab Notes

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  • 2%Funded
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