Following a decline of Caribbean reef sharks in the no-take portion of the Glover's Reef Marine Reserve, a marine protected area established in 1993, Belize decided to prohibit shark fishing two miles around its three coral reef atolls. The study, led by Ph.D. candidate Kathryn Flowers, documented different abundance trends for Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks. It was recently published in Marine Ecology Progress Series.
For more on this collaboration between our scientists and stakeholders in Belize, check out this Mongabay story. >>
FIU press release >>