Eden Island to support shark research
26.10.2009
The Eden Island Development Company is to support research into the movements of lemon sharks (Negaprion acutidens) in the Amirantes.
The study, by MSc student John Filmalter, aims to understand the important role atolls play in the early stages of lemon sharks’ lives, acting as nursery areas for the juveniles and providing them with food and shelter.
Lemon sharks themselves play an import role in lagoon systems of this kind, where they are the dominant predator, controlling an intricate food web.
The research forms part of a collaborative effort between the D’Arros Research Centre, the Seychelles Fishing Authority, IRD France and Rhodes University in South Africa.
Eden Island is supporting the project by providing free use of a sea kayak.
This will allow the lemon sharks, tagged with sonic pingers, to be tracked around the atolls and across the many kilometres of shallow sand flats, where conventional boats cannot travel.