After attacks, government resumes monitoring of sharks off the coast of Recife
The Government of Pernambuco announced, this Wednesday (3), the resumption of shark monitoring on the metropolitan shore of Recife. The last action took place about 11 years ago, in 2015.
The resumption comes after two attacks of the species were recorded against an 11-year-old child and a 19-year-old girl. The accidents occurred on May 31st and June 2nd, at Praia de Piedade and Boa Viagem.
After the incident, both victims had to have one of their legs amputated.
Victims of shark attacks in Pernambuco have limbs amputated | CNN NEW DAY
According to the Pernambuco government, the initiative begins this June. With an investment of more than R$1 million, the project will evaluate the distribution of sharks, the movement patterns and the behavior of the species, that is, this would help to understand the reason that caused the attacks.
How will monitoring take place?
Paulo Oliveira, professor at UFRPE and coordinator of the Ecotuba project - developed to assist in the conservation of the marine environment -, explained that monitoring will take place through several stages.
Initially, the animals will be captured, shipped and will undergo a species identification protocol. Soon after, they will be measured, have blood drawn and receive a chip.
This transmitter will be implanted through a mini-surgery in the ventral region. Once this procedure is done, it will be returned to the sea and, later, monitoring of this animal will be carried out after entering the water. In other words, so that you can see the pattern of space usage
Paulo Oliveira, coordinator of the Ecotuba project
The monitoring results will also allow the identification of risk zones and which places need to be avoided by bathers. This is because, in some places, there are warning signs for sharks, but there is no prohibition on entering the sea.
"With the support of SECTI and FACEPE, we are investing in research to generate data that contribute to population safety, environmental preservation and the construction of increasingly effective public policies for Pernambuco", highlighted Mauricelia Montenegro, secretary of Secti
The initiative is coordinated by the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, in an action requested by the Secretariat of Environment, Sustainability and Fernando de Noronha and promoted by the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SECTI-PE) and the Foundation for the Support of Science and Technology of the State of Pernambuco (FACEPE).
*Under AR supervision.
Source: CNN