Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2023-R9-low (1) - Flipbook - Page 20
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Bertarelli Foundation
Shark Genomics Seascapes
Lead Investigator: Prof. Barbara Block,
Stanford University
Illegal fishing in the Indian Ocean has drastically
decreased reef shark populations and severely impacted
ocean ecosystems. The loss of these important species
leads to an imbalance in the oceanic food web, leading to
a decline in coral reef health and the loss of other marine
organisms that depend on healthy reef environments.
Limited surveillance capacity, and insufficient
cataloguing of current shark populations, has made it
difficult to prioritise areas for conservation or measure
success of existing conservation efforts.
Advanced DNA sequencing presents an opportunity to
identify sub-populations of reef sharks across the entire
Indian Ocean region. This study is working to create a
Genomic Seascape, or comprehensive DNA catalogue,
of reef shark populations within the Indian Ocean which
will enable enhanced tracking of shark populations. By
matching genetic signatures of illegally fished sharks
with those of catalogued populations, the location of
areas that are being targeted by illegal fisheries can
be identified. These Genomic Seascapes can then be
used as a management tool once lower cost, portable
sequencing technology and genetic testing capacity is
introduced at key fishing ports in the Indian Ocean.