Shark Man gets teeth into study

Riley Elliott wants Kiwis to care more about sharks and ocean conservation. Photo / Greg Bowker

Researcher aims to inspire a passion for marine life.

New Zealand's "Shark Man" Riley Elliott is back after an overseas study stint and is keen to get more Kiwis involved in marine conservation.

The outgoing marine biologist, author and TV personality, who spent this year on research projects in Hawaii and Sri Lanka, is completing a PhD that will boost the world's knowledge of the wide-ranging blue sharks.

He said he was committed to holding more public talks to get Kiwis to care more about sharks and ocean conservation, while leading further research into what still remains a little-understood predator.

His PhD project, run in conjunction with Auckland University's Leigh Marine Laboratory, has involved satellite-tagging 18 blue sharks and will define, for the first time, the full extent of the species' migrations, behaviour, critical habitats, possible breeding grounds and role in the marine ecosystem.

Mr Elliott felt that discussing this work publicly had contributed to the Government's decision a year ago to ban shark-finning in New Zealand waters.

But he believed the country had much further to go when it came to protecting our vast blue backyard.

"There are good stories, like the new protection of the Kermadecs.

"But our quota management system needs work, more coastal marine reserves are required, and sustainable ecosystems need to become a priority over short-term money," he said.

"We're really not doing enough for the awesome resource that we have.

"So what I'm trying to do now is use my science, combined with visual imagery, to inspire people to become more involved, to put their heads under the water a little, and learn a little more about the things that swim in our oceans, because shifting baselines are not generational any more.

"I've seen massive changes within years, and I don't want to tell my future kids 'you should have seen it in my day'."

The public's fascination with sharks - which Mr Elliott called the "pin-up boys" of our seas - was something he could use to introduce Kiwis to the issues their oceans are facing.

"Really, we're just scraping the surface of understanding how important sharks are to a healthy marine ecosystem - and ourselves."

A case in point was a new Australian study that showed how shark culling programmes were indirectly contributing to climate change, as removing the predators allowed sea turtles to flourish and feast on carbon-storing seagrasses.

Riley Elliott will speak at Tauranga's Pacific Crystal Palace on Saturday, October 24, as part of the Tauranga Arts Festival. For details visit www.taurangafestival.co.nz

5 shark facts

1 Sharks are the oldest living vertebrates on Earth - more than 420 million years old.
2 Sharks have ears - internal ones used for detecting feeding opportunities.
3 Great White sharks are the only species that actively pop their heads above water (spy-hopping) to eye a curious human onlooker, or scout for prey.
4 Sharks mate by the male biting into the female's neck, which has evolved skin 10 times thicker than males. He then uses one of two "claspers" to copulate.
5 More than 100 million sharks are killed every year for shark fin soup - that's three a second for a bowl of soup.