‘Citizen science‘ is research, that uses data and support from members ofthe public, like observations, submission of photographs, participation in research projects. Participants do not have to be experts, in some cases not even a diver or snorkeller.
In Europe, there are several projects, for which members of the public report observations of egg cases of rays and sharks. On of them is of course our own ‘Grote Eikapseljacht (www.eikapsel.org), that is the Dutch equivalent of the Shark Trust’s ‘Great Eggcase Hunt“. The collected information about the number of found egg cases delivers data about species and populations and is collected in a European-wide database. Similar projects will be started all over the world.
Another eggcase project has been set up in Italy, Mermaid’s Purse. Divers and snorkellers report where, under which circumstances and how many egg cases of catsharks they have found during their dive and snorkeltrips. The info is also published on the internet. Each year, project leader Eleonora de Sabata organizes the Bioblitz, a special event for divers and underwater photographers to check and document all catshark eggcases in the Gulf of Naples. The Dutch Shark Society supports this project financially.
The egg of a catshark with a baby shark inside
The Dutch Shark Society is also a partner in a research project of the University of Padova, that studies the attitude towards sharks. You can find the questionnaire here: http://www.tshark.org/questionnaire
Fill out the shark questionnaire!
Other projects collect data in databases of pictures and observations of manta rays and sharks: http://www.mantamatcher.org/
For whale shark sightings: http://www.whaleshark.org/photographing.jsp
The website eOceans links to several sightings databases: http://eshark.biology.dal.ca/
The Shark Trust also has a Shark Sightings Database: http://www.sharktrust.org/en/about_sightings
Or visit the database of Shark Base: http://www.shark-base.org/
Take your pick, and contribute to science!
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