The WCS staff members, including Rhett Bennett and Dave van Beuningen, from the Western Indian Ocean shark and ray conservation program and Naseeba Sidat and Jorge Sitoe from the Mozambican Program, participated in a workshop on BRUVS (Baited Remote Underwater Video) in Grahamstown from 9 to 11 January. The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) hosted the event and brought together experts from various organizations to share knowledge and skills on this data collection methodology.
Participants from Namibia, Mozambique, and South Africa participated in this event, where they received training on the various aspects of BRUV research, including strengthening social impact and contributing to BRUV research on a local, regional, and global scale.
WCS Mozambique, in partnership with the Mozambique Oceanographic Institute of Mozambique (InOM), has been conducting shark and ray research using BRUVs since 2018, both inside and outside of marine conservation areas, having already conducted surveys in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Inhambane, Gaza, and Maputo.
Credit picture: South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity