100 million sharks are taken from the oceans every year<\/a> for their fins and meat. This is resulting in severe population declines for some species, and many of the species that are in trouble live in coastal habitats like coral reefs,\u201d Heithaus said. \u201cThis could be a big problem for these ecosystems because sharks and rays, which are also in trouble in many places, may be important for keeping the oceans healthy. This global survey will fill in data gaps that could help governments, fisheries and others better understand and conserve these important predators.\u201d<\/p>\nThe new data will be consolidated with thousands of hours of existing video\u00a0data to form a single dataset for analysis, producing the first global standardized survey of shark, ray and skates in coral reef environments.
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Deploying baited underwater video equipment, researchers hope to catch the ocean\u2019s top predators on camera in their natural habitats. More than 400 reef locations will be surveyed during the three-year project dubbed Global FinPrint<\/a>. The project is focusing on three key geographic regions where data gaps exist \u2014 Indo-Pacific, tropical western Atlantic, and southern and eastern Africa and Indian Ocean islands. Mike Heithaus<\/a>, FIU marine biologist and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences<\/a>, is part of the international team of researchers led by Demian Chapman of Stony Brook University in New York.<\/p>\n