Bull Shark Abundance Shows Population Resilience to Increasing Temperatures, Climate Change in Mobile Bay

The resilience of bull sharks to higher temperatures was reported in Mobile Bay, with a notable increase in juvenile sharks. Maintaining shark populations is important to maintain balance in ocean ecosystems.

Sharks are considered strong and formidable predators underwater. However, recent reports revealed that sharks have suffered from different threats, including the following:

• Overfishing
• Pollution
• By-catch
• Illegal fishing practices

Understanding the present threats and impacts of rising temperatures is crucial to providing new insights into conservation plans. In Mobile Bay, researchers discovered an increase in juvenile sharks in the area despite the spike in ocean temperatures.

Bull Shark Abundance and Resilience

Rising ocean temperatures can threaten many species that are sensitive to temperature fluctuations, which are challenging for other marine animals to survive due to changes in the food web. Climate change is also a primary factor that can disrupt ecosystems, bringing intensified weather events and hotter ocean heatwaves.

However, researchers found that bull sharks, or Carcharhinus leucas, showed resilience and abundance amidst the rising temperatures in Mobile Bay. Warm and shallow water conditions are some of the common habitats of the said shark species. The research findings were published in Scientific Reports.

According to the report, they noted a five-fold increase in the juvenile species after studying the spatiotemporal changes. The researchers observed the data from 440 bull sharks (between 2003 and 2020), showing the increase in the number of individuals per hour.

Despite the challenging sea surface temperatures, the bull shark population is resilient to their environment and climate change effects. However, the researchers urged the need to educate fisheries about the crucial role of sharks in the region.

Microplastics Impact Sharks

In the recent NWN report, microplastics and cellulose-based fibers were discovered in shark species on the coast of south-east Queensland, highlighting the widespread impacts of plastic pollution on many species. The report was published in the Chemosphere journal.

The researchers found that the contaminants were present in the following sharks:

• Bull sharks
• White sharks
• Tiger sharks
• Scalloped hammerheads

"The presence of microplastics and cellulose-based fibers not only in the intestines but also in muscle tissues underscores the urgent need for further research on the potential risk to marine organisms and proactive measures to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic pollution on marine ecosystems, particularly on megafauna such as apex sharks," Hsuan-Cheng Lu, from Griffith University's ARI-TOX, said, as quoted in a report.

Because sharks are elusive animals, knowledge about the impact of microplastics is limited. Plastic debris and microplastics have a potential impact on sharks' behavior and habitats.

Due to increasing threats to apex predators and other species, the reduction of plastic can help reduce its pollution impacts on marine species.

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