Innovative research programs to preserve the ocean

Every year, tens of thousands of rays, sharks and cetaceans are victims of "by-catch", i.e. fished accidentally, without being targeted by fishermen. Caught in nets, these sensitive marine animals find themselves trapped with no hope of survival. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), up to 40% of the world's fishing catch is by-catch. 

❌ Worse still, a large proportion of these catches are not even reported. Artisanal fishermen, faced with technical and logistical difficulties, lack the means to report these incidents. The animals are therefore discreetly thrown back into the water, leading to their silent extinction. 

✨ This is where the Bycatch & Beyond project comes in. Its aim is to involve artisanal fishermen in monitoring endangered species in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. How? By providing them with low-tech, easy-to-use radio-GPS boxes. These devices will not only make it possible to report bycatch of skates and sharks, but also to create a network of fishermen-actors in the collection of conservation data. 

📽️ Discover in video, Alifa Bintha Haque, Zoology researcher at the University of Dhaka, the bearer of this fascinating project! 

Do you know what a gorgonian is? These jewels of the Mediterranean are elegantly shaped, arborescent colonies essential to marine biodiversity. They serve as nurseries for many fish, but also as life support, like trees, at all levels of these animal forests, thus contributing to the balance of an entire ecosystem.

🌡️ Unfortunately, increasing marine heatwaves are threatening these precious treasures. Faced with this new climatic reality, some gorgonians are resisting, while others are succumbing. Why this disparity?That's where the Buffer project comes in.

🧬 The Buffer team is embarking on a study of the genetic variability of red gorgonians in the Parc des Calanques. They will seek to understand the resistance mechanisms of these corals in the face of climate change.

🪸 Their goal: produce scientific, political and awareness-raising tools to guide targeted management of this ecosystem in a marine protected area. Because protecting gorgonians means preserving the future of an entire ecosystem.