Seminar Series: Shark Depredation in Recreational Fisheries off Florida, from Characterization to Mitigation

Depredation is the partial or complete damage to target fisheries by ambient natural predators before being landed. Despite being reported as a growing problem in multiple fisheries across the southeastern US, there has been little effort to date to understand or mitigate shark depredations. This talk will provide an overview of the research conducted by Ajemian and his team, who collaborated with fishermen from around Florida to 1) characterize depredation dynamics (severity and seasonality), and 2) test magnetic deterrents to keep sharks from damaging snapper-grouper species. The talk concludes with an outlook on this human-wildlife conflict, as well as upcoming work integrating electrical deterrents into the recreational sector.

Presenter: Dr. Matt Ajemian is an Associate Research Professor and has been at FAU Harbor Branch since 2016 where he leads the Fisheries Ecology and Conservation program.