'No-take' Marine Reserves Can Reverse the Decline in Shark Populations

A new study by researchers at the University of Queensland and James Cook University estimates no-take reserves that extend between 10 and 50 kilometres along coral reefs can achieve significant improvements in populations of reef sharks. It also determined that marine reserves in the Atlantic Ocean should be 2.6 times larger than those in the Pacific Ocean to protect similar abundances of reef sharks.

Dwyer RG, Krueck NC, Udyawer V, Heupel MR, Chapman D, Pratt HL Jr, Garla R, Simpfendorfer CA. (2020) Individual and Population Benefits of Marine Reserves for Reef Sharks.. Curr Biol 30(3):480-489.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.12.005