Lessons from Ascension’s shark troubles could help boost conservation

Understanding people’s attitudes to interactions with sharks could help halt the global decline of shark numbers, according to new research carried out on Ascension Island.  

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

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

The research team, led by the University of Exeter and ZSL, interviewed 34 islanders to assess perceptions of sharks.

“We found that human-shark conflict is driven by lots of different factors beyond just attacks – and understanding this is vital if we want shark conservation to work,” said Dr Claire Collins, from ZSL and the University of Exeter.

“People had varying views on what shark numbers and behaviours 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 had changed the way they live and use the ocean due to fear of attack.”

Ascension Island became a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in 2019, with only recreational fishing allowed in nearshore waters (coast to 12nm) and all fishing prohibited from 12 to 200nm.

Reports of human-shark interactions have increased over the last decade, and 90% of the people interviewed said they had reduced their use of the ocean.

Many people felt shark behaviour and numbers were not normal for the island, and some felt these changes had been driven by human actions including “chumming” (attempting to attract fish by dispersing fish scraps into the water) by recreational and sports fishers in the past. However, uncertainty in general about what was causing the interactions, and which shark species were responsible also fuelled anxiety and uncertainty amongst island inhabitants.

“A positive step would be to ensure people are working from widely agreed, evidence-based information about sharks,” said Dr Sam Weber, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

“Sharks are among the most threatened animals globally, so it’s vital to understand and manage conflicts to ensure continued support for their protection.

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

This work formed part of a larger project funded by the UK Darwin Initiative and Save Our Seas Foundation, which is helping to demystify shark-human conflict by tracking sharks to try and understand their movements and how changes in the ocean environment around Ascension Island are affecting their interactions with people

Tiffany Simpson, from AIG Conservation, said: “It is very important for both science and public confidence to establish an understanding of the potential drivers behind shark activity around Ascension. This multidisciplinary research project is helping to bridge knowledge gaps and develop a better understanding surrounding one of the marine world’s unique icons. This is just the beginning of attempting to learn more about the migration patterns, habitat use and measures to help reduce potentially negative interactions”.  

The study was funded by the UK government’s Darwin Initiative and the Save Our Seas Foundation. 

The paper, published in the journal People and Nature, is entitled: “Social dimensions of shark-human interactions in a large remote Marine Protected Area.”