Investigators from National Institute for Fisheries and Oceanography Research – INIPO, who monitor fishing landings, have confirmed the presence in Guinea-Bissau of a particularly rare shark, the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris.
(c) Crédit photo : PRCM
The species, which is still relatively common in Cabo Verde, is considered extinct in most West African waters. This discovery, made as part of the Bijagós Rays and Sharks: Swimming in dangerous waters project, underlines the Bijagós archipelago’s role as a sanctuary for marine biodiversity. It also highlights the importance of collaborating with fishing communities to gather essential data, and values the role of surveyors.
The project, funded by the Shark Conservation Fund (SCF), benefits from the collaboration of Wageningen University in the Netherlands and shark specialist Dr. Guido Leurs. It is implemented by the Regional Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation in West Africa (PRCM) in collaboration with INIPO.
