SharkApp

Region Update: Mediterranean

The first Mediterranean public, institutional free app developed for all citizens and marine stakeholders who can help shark conservation

Written by Massimiliano Bottaro

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group | Mediterranean Regional Group | Member Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy

Last year the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN), the Italian National Institute for Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, developed a new app that works towards shark conservation and raising awareness of these species and their relatives (rays and chimaeras) in the Mediterranean Sea: the SharkApp.

SharkApp is a free citizen science tool that aims to improve the linkage between scientists, users of the sea such as fishers, divers, sailors, conservationists, and others. The application was developed to create awareness among stakeholders on the importance of sharks and their relatives, and draw attention to their state of endangerment and how citizens can help in their conservation.

SharkApp is provided with a detailed learning section with information on all shark species present in the Mediterranean Sea and a glossary with the most common terms used in marine biology, ecology, and specific vocabulary used for sharks.

Moreover, SharkApp is an instrument for collecting information on sightings and shark captures. The app allows, in fact, the recording of data by stakeholders filling in a simple form and with the option of uploading pictures and the GPS location on a map. A team of experts then verifies and validates all the information to ensure that the collected data are accurate and can be entered into a comprehensive sightings database.

Now SharkApp has been implemented and updated thanks to the project LIFE ELIFE - Elasmobranchs Low-Impact Fishing Experience (LIFE18 NAT/IT/000846), funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the SZN in collaboration with other nine European Mediterranean partners (elifeproject.eu/en/). In the framework of the LIFE ELIFE project, SharkApp is currently available in English. Soon, it will also be translated into Arabic, French, and Spanish to make it more accessible for the Mediterranean people.

The app can be downloaded for free on Google Play Store and Apple Store.

Download right now the SharkApp to join elasmobranch research and conservation in the Mediterranean Sea: together, we can save them.