A research team from the ULPGC and SITMA moved to the island of La Graciosa between the 5th and the 7th November 2018 for a series of activities and tests in the framework of “ACUSQUAT project: Acoustic monitoring of the Angel Shark´s (Squatina squatina) behaviour in critical conservation areas”, which counts on the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

Researchers from SIANI institute, together with personnel from SITMA, carried out diverse fieldwork in La Graciosa Marine Reserve in parallel with an Angel Shark tagging campaign –a total of 13 adults were tagged- programmed by the European “Angel Shark Project”, of which ACUSQUAT has become an active collaborator. Different acoustic monitoring tests were performed by connecting a specific receiver to the autonomous sailing vessel A-Tirma, a prototype developed by SIANI.

 

 

Receiver towed by the A-Tirma and divers entering the water in La Graciosa.

In the coming months, monitoring campaigns of the recently tagged animals will be repeated in the same area, both through fixed receivers deployed along the marine reserve, as well as –ideally– by means of autonomous marine vehicles. The information obtained is expected to allow an increase in the current scarce knowledge on the ecology of the species and, in particular, on its spatial and habitat-use patterns.

Further information at the following link: +info

Biodiversity Foundation and the Angel Shark: +info

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