Ask Us Anything About Sharks! With Dr James Lea

October is famously spooky season – but did you also know it’s the month that we celebrate one of the funkiest groups of elasmobranchs? October 17th is International Sawfish Day, an event held every year to raise awareness of these wonderfully weird and seriously threatened animals. ‘What is a sawfish?’ I hear you cry. Well, fear not – this is an episode dedicated entirely to learning all about them. And to teach us all about these fantastical and mysterious creatures, our guest is Dr Barbara Wueringer, a scientist specialising in the behaviour, sensory ecology and biology of sharks and rays, with a particular focus and passion for sawfishes. She is the founder, director, and principal scientist of Sharks And Rays Australia (SARA), a non-profit research organization based in Cairns, Queensland, dedicated to not only the study of these species, but also the engagement of the public and local and Indigenous communities in their conservation. You can find out more about Dr Wueringer and the work of SARA here https://www.sharksandraysaustralia.com/ or by following @SharksAndRaysAU. Found a saw? You can report it to www.cytags.com (for sighting submissions in Australia) or https://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/ (for international sightings). Key timestamps

Many of us enter the water hoping to encounter sharks and rays, and maybe even get some prize images of our own – but how can we do it with as little impact on the animal as possible? In this episode, we discuss how to share the water with sharks safely, ethically and responsibly with wildlife photographer and filmmaker Luke Saddler, who has spent countless hours observing sharks in their environment and capturing their natural behaviours. We talk about how to: read body language, choose a responsible tourism operator, start out in wildlife film-making and become a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ – all while hearing some of Luke’s own incredible adventures in the field. Find out more about Luke: @lukesaddler, www.lukesaddler.com Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast Find us on social media: @saveourseasfoundation across all platforms! Key timestamps 07:11 — A very special dive in a "galaxy of hammerheads" 13:09 — Luke’s journey from marine biology to wildlife filmmaking 16:23 — How understanding animal behaviour improves your footage 18:01 — Luke’s first shark encounters in Australia 22:42 — How to interact with sharks responsibly 24:10 — Cage diving, baiting, and choosing responsible operators 28:43 — What to look for in a shark tour operator 30:50 — How to behave around sharks underwater 31:17 — Reading shark body language (and when to back off) 35:19 — How drones are changing shark research and filming 40:44 — Planning a wildlife shoot 44:58 — Telling shark stories without fearmongering 47:30 — Getting started in underwater photography and filmmaking 54:18 — What to keep in mind before a first shark encounter

Ghofrane Labyedh came to Cameroon in search of whales and instead discovered an overlooked conservation story: threatened sharks and rays were being landed in large numbers, yet little was known about the fisheries catching them. Since 2019, Ghofrane has worked alongside Cameroon’s coastal communities to understand these fisheries and the cultural, social and economic importance of sharks and rays. In this episode she shares stories of her work, which weaves together research, community-led conservation, policy and storytelling; culminating in an initiative where the fishers themselves play a central role in protecting the endangered species on their doorstep. She also discusses how she has taken this multi-layered approach in her new role as Lead Coordinator of the West and Central Africa Elasmobranch Coalition with the Manta Trust. Her work here will focus on bringing together researchers, organisations and practitioners from across 14 countries in the region to address the decline of sharks and rays, strengthening in-country capacity for research and monitoring, and enhancing policy and legal frameworks for endangered species. Links Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast Ghofrane on Instagram: Motherfish08 The West and Central Africa Elasmobranch Coalition: https://www.wcasharksandrays.org/

The international trade in shark fins is a behemoth; vast, complex and difficult to disentangle. But for molecular and forensics expert Dr Diego Cardeñosa, one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the fin trade is the tiniest part of a shark: their DNA. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Diego's research, which has been instrumental in understanding the nuances of the fin trade and securing better regulations for this billion-dollar industry. This includes the development of a portable, easy-to-use and inexpensive DNA ID kit (the "lab-in-a-backpack") that can help local officials identify endangered and protected species from just fragments of shark fin - all for under $2. We also talk about the problems with implementing international policy at a local level, the scale and complexities of the trade, and whether Diego is seeing any shifts in how the trade operates - for better or for worse. Links Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast Diego on Instagram: @diegocardenosa https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/diego-cardenosa/ https://case.fiu.edu/about/directory/profiles/cardenosa-diego.html If you want to dive deeper, you can find links to Diego’s research here.

Few sharks capture the imagination quite like the thresher shark. They are well-known for their cartoonish appearance, “anxious-looking” faces and seriously cool hunting technique. But in scientific terms, we know very little about them – despite their endangered status. Rafid Shidqi is on a mission to change that. For the last eight years, he has led groundbreaking research on the elusive pelagic thresher sharks of Alor, Indonesia, whose preference for deep, pelagic habitats make them extremely difficult to study. In 2018, Rafid started the non-profit Thresher Shark Indonesia, working within remote, shark-dependent fishing communities to better understand and protect the species. Through acoustic and satellite telemetry and socio-economic studies, Rafid has made vital discoveries about not only the movements and behaviour of pelagic threshers, but also the communities who rely on them to make a living. Rafid’s story isn’t just about conserving a cool species – it’s also about empowering communities, opening pathways for local youth through conservation leadership, and finding sustainable solutions for shark-dependent fisheries. Find out more: https://threshershark.id/en/ (@threshershark.id on instagram) and @rafid.shidqi Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast Follow us on socials! @saveourseasfoundation