Prof David Sims

Jaws helped spur a fishing frenzy – so how have the world’s sharks fared since the 1975 release? The film made us afraid to go back in the water. It ultimately gave sharks more to fear from us.

50 years on from the release of movie blockbuster Jaws, our shark expert @thesimslab.bsky.social @sotonoceanearth.bsky.social debates the so called 'Jaws effect', charting the fortunes of the 'great white' for @theconversation.com.

Read more 👉 https://tr.ee/5gCSPz

20.06.2025 09:02 — 👍 7    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 0

UN-backed global research movement shows benefits of tracking ocean giants for marine conservation | Marine Biological Association A team of international scientists has tracked over 100 marine megafauna species, identifying the most critical locations in our global ocean for better marine conservation efforts, according to new…

New research backed by the UN highlights the benefits of tracking marine megafauna for #marine #conservation 🦈

However, results reveal that proposed plans to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 will be insufficient for their conservation.

🔗 www.mba.ac.uk/un-backed-gl...

@thesimslab.bsky.social

09.06.2025 14:09 — 👍 12    🔁 5    💬 1    📌 1

Herculean collation of >12K megafauna tracks, >100 species, reveals 75% overlap of critical habitats with shipping, fishing, pollution or warming. Protection targets not enough to safeguard megafauna.

New paper in @science.org, led by @anammsequeira.bsky.social 👇

📸silvana-palacios,daniel-torobekov

06.06.2025 10:48 — 👍 29    🔁 12    💬 2    📌 1

Global tracking of marine megafauna space use reveals how to achieve conservation targets The recent Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) sets ambitious goals but no clear pathway for how zero loss of important biodiversity areas and halting human-induced extinction of thre...

NEW in @science.org Global tracking #MarineMegafauna shows <8% of areas used overlap w/ existing MPAs, while >75% of important areas overlapped by threats like #fishing #shipping & ocean warming - 30x30 goal will be insufficient for their conservation www.megamove.org @thembauk.bsky.social

05.06.2025 18:41 — 👍 98    🔁 36    💬 0    📌 3

Whale shark sex detectives uncover vital clue to reproduction - Oceanographic To solve the mystery of where whale shark go to have their babies, researchers turn attentions to some very intriguing expanses of ocean.

oceanographicmagazine.com/news/researc....

01.03.2025 15:01 — 👍 4    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

Could extreme ocean environments hold the key to locating mysterious shark birthing grounds? | Marine Biological Association New research from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) aims to shed light on one of the greatest mysteries of the natural world – where do sharks go to

Could extreme ocean environments unlock the mystery of #shark birthing grounds? 🦈🌊 New MBA research links baby #WhaleSharks to #OxygenMinimumZones. These areas may provide safety from predators & a rich food supply, crucial for the survival of neonates.

➡️ buff.ly/4hIdSdN

@thesimslab.bsky.social

19.02.2025 11:29 — 👍 13    🔁 8    💬 0    📌 0

(a) Recorded sightings of whale shark neonates globally (black points). (b) Image of neonatal and adult whale sharks from Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines group (b) and Marty Snyderman (b). (c) Whale shark neonates and sea surface temperature (SST, °C averaged for 2005–2019). (d) SST recorded from neonate locations and 10 randomised runs. (e) Whale shark neonates and Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a, mg m3 averaged for 2005–2019). (f) Chl-a at 0 and 100 m depths recorded from neonate locations and 10 randomised runs. (g) Whale shark neonates and current velocity (UV) at 0 m depth (ms−1, averaged for 2005–2019). (h) UV recorded from neonate locations and 10 randomised runs. (i) Whale shark neonates and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration at 100 m depth (μmol L−1, averaged for 2005–2019). (h) DO concentrations at 0 and 100 m depths recorded from neonate locations and 10 randomised runs. In (d, f, h) and (j) each point represents a single sighting or randomised location, the solid black line is the median value of randomised locations, the dashed black line the median of the observed sightings for each depth, and the violin displays the density distribution of all locations. IUCN whale shark distributions are shown in white in each map and with a black outline in (a).

New research from @thesimslab.bsky.social in @ecol-evol.bsky.social - 🦈🌊
Unlocking the mystery of baby #whaleshark birthing grounds - Extreme environments like #OMZs provide safety from predators & a rich food supply, crucial for neonate survival.

doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

@thembauk.bsky.social

20.02.2025 15:13 — 👍 12    🔁 8    💬 0    📌 1

NEW PAPER - we think we've discovered an open-ocean nursery for endangered shortfin #mako #sharks in the SE Pacific Ocean..... only trouble is, it's in a Global Fishing Hotspot - likely exacerbating popn declines already occurring @thembauk.bsky.social
OA here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

26.01.2025 12:23 — 👍 29    🔁 16    💬 0    📌 0