Thailand eShark Project Update
Since December 2013 the Thailand eShark Project from Shark Guardian has been the largest and most successful citizen science project in Thailand. This database aims to collect shark or no shark observations by divers, snorkelers or swimmers anytime people are in or near the water.
How is the Thailand eShark Project data being used?
The Thailand eShark Project results is used to raise awareness of declining shark populations in Thailand to the general public, Thai government and the Department of Marine Coastal Resources (DMCR) of Thailand. Additionally, to help improve protected marine parks with the aim of creating shark sanctuaries. The identification of shark species and areas is also an important step in determining the best method for recovery and protection.
After a full year since the launch of the Thailand eShark Project, 6539 data entries were recorded from divers all over Thailand. the result was really amazing and started already to produce some interesting results. By the end of April 2014 the data showed that compared to the amount of activities logged, sharks were only seen in 8.2% of the time during these activities. This was a slight decrease compared to the end of April 2014 from 12.8%. This could be that we had more people entering data even when sharks were not seen, as apposed to when people only entered the data when sharks were seen.
Why enter data even when no sharks are sighted?
Zero shark sighings are important for any scientific survey – it is the only way Sighting Frequency can be calculated. Also, the zero’s are extremely important for examining the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas or fishing regulations. For example, if divers report zero’s in an area for 10 years, and then a no-take area is established, then we can start to determine if, and how long it takes for sharks to respond to the protection.
Thailand eShark Project Update – Mar 2015
At the end of March 2015 our data entries increased to 9,063 (2,524 entries in 3 months) and this time there was an increase in shark sighting around Thailand which rose to 17.8% with a total of 1,615 sharks recorded. There certainly has been an increase in whale shark sightings this high season as well as an increase in Black Tip Reef Shark sightings. The Black Tip Reef sharks appears to be the most commonly sighted shark in Thailand especially by snorkelers. This data also suggests that there may be a ‘shark season’ in Thailand where more sharks are sighted in a particular time of the year. This is why having people enter their historical data would be very valuable and interesting to compare.
Continue to enter your historical, present, and future activities into the eShark database
Historical dive logs provides valuable data for the past which helps to build a platform of information to compare over a long term period. So get your old log books and start entering your data! Record all your dive or snorkel activities in order for us to collect data and use it for shark and marine conservation worldwide.
The Thailand eShark Project will continue until the end of April 2015. However historical data and future data is still being collected and updated continuously. Please make sure that you collect as much data as possible for the rest of April 2015 and beyond!
Step 1: Dive, snorkel and explore the reefs anywhere in the world
Step 2: Log and report your shark observations to the eShark database, even if no sharks were observed!
Step 3: If possible, report all your past dive logs into the eShark database including your shark/ no shark observations
