CLIMATE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Panama Tackles Shark and Ray Conservation with Science and Community
WHY IT MATTERS
Panama's conservation efforts demonstrate a commitment to protecting its marine biodiversity, setting a positive example for other countries to follow in addressing the global issue of shark and ray bycatch.
What happened
In Panama Bay, marine biologist Yehudi Rodríguez and sailors from the Promarina S. A. fleet collaborate to release accidentally caught sharks and rays back into the water.
Rodríguez, a professor at the University of Panama and director of the Shark Defenders NGO, analyzes bycatch every two weeks, freeing marine species entangled in purse seine nets. The team's efforts aim to protect Panama's shark and ray populations. Rodríguez expresses her emotion at seeing and liberating these animals, highlighting the importance of their work.
The crew, including the youngest sailor Hermes, nicknamed Mbappé, assist Rodríguez in releasing the animals, taking care to avoid the venomous barb of the rays. Rodríguez follows a protocol to record the bycatch location and identify the species before releasing them back into the ocean.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Panama looks to science, fishers, and the law to protect its sharks and rays
Mongabay · Alexandra Popescu · Discovery and factual synthesis only; publisher copyright terms apply