Lessons from Ascension Island’s shark troubles could help boost conservation

Understanding people’s attitudes towards interactions with sharks could help halt the global decline in shark numbers, according to new research from Ascension Island.

In 2017, there were two non-fatal shark attacks in Ascension, a British territory in the South Atlantic with a population of around 800 people.

Large numbers of sharks, mainly silky and Galapagos sharks, have affected the island’s recreational fishermen, who often lose their tackle and hooked fish before they can be landed.

The research team, led by the University of Exeter and ZSL, surveyed 34 islanders to assess perceptions of sharks. The team’s article, published in the journal People and natureis titled “Social Dimensions of Shark-Human Interactions in a Large Remote Marine Protected Area.”

“We found that human-shark conflicts are driven by many different factors, beyond just attacks, and understanding this is essential if we want shark conservation to work,” said Dr Claire Collins, from ZSL and the University of Exeter. “People had different views on how many sharks and behaviors were ‘normal’ and how sharks should be managed.

“Shark attacks, one of which resulted in a life-threatening injury on Ascension, can have a significant impact on people’s attitudes. This includes hidden psychosocial impacts such as stress and anxiety, and we show that as a result, some people have changed the way they live and use the ocean out of fear of attacks.”

Ascension Island became a marine protected area (MPA) in 2019, with only recreational fishing permitted in nearshore waters (coastal up to 12 nm) and all fishing prohibited between 12 and 200 nm.

Reports of human-shark interactions have increased over the past decade, and 90% of those surveyed said they had reduced their use of the ocean.

Many people believed that the behavior and numbers of sharks were not normal on the island, and some believed that these changes had been caused by human actions, including “chumming” (attempting to attract fish by scattering fish remains in the water) by recreational and sport fishermen in the past. However, general uncertainty about the cause of these interactions and which shark species are responsible has also fueled anxiety and uncertainty among the island’s residents.

“A positive step would be to ensure people are working from widely accepted, evidence-based information about sharks,” said Dr Sam Weber, from the Center for Ecology and Conservation at the Penryn campus in Exeter, Cornwall. “Sharks are among the most endangered animals in the world, so understanding and managing conflict is essential to ensure continued support for their protection.

“People often feel more uncertain about marine species, so by demystifying these animals and allowing broader community participation in their research and management, we can avoid an escalation into human-wildlife conflict.”

This work was part of a larger project to demystify the shark-human conflict by tracking sharks to try to understand their movements and how changes in the ocean environment around Ascension Island affect their interactions with humans.

Tiffany Simpson, of AIG Conservation, said: “Establishing an understanding of the potential factors behind shark activity around Ascension is very important for both science and public trust. This multidisciplinary research project helps fill knowledge gaps and better understand one of the unique icons of the marine world.