Alejo Irigoyen, a researcher at the Center for Marine Systems Studies (CESIMAR, CONICET), specialized in Marine Ecology and a member of the Arrecife Project team, explains the importance of preserving shark species within the marine ecosystem along the Patagonian coast.
According to Alejo, “In Santa Cruz, Tierra del Fuego, and even Chubut, and along the entire Argentine coast, the knowledge about sharks and coastal or marine ecosystems in general is very limited to understand the impact of each site, each province, each area. About sharks in general or about a specific shark species.”
He explains that the lack of knowledge “applies to the whole South Atlantic; and the further south you go, the fewer studies and information have been gathered.”
He points out that, in general terms, “sharks -the chondrichthyans- have a known balancing effect on the ecosystem. There are some species, one iconic especially for Santa Cruz, which is the leopard shark, a top predator. It’s on the scale of the orca. So, there are meso predators, especially sea lions, seals, and also dolphins, which are not in the middle of the food chain. The only predators they have are the orca and the leopard shark, so thinking about a role, a function is key because they have no replacement.”
“These (Patagonian) ecosystems, if they fail, if they are overexploited, just as orcas have been killed; as sharks and leopard sharks are being overexploited; if one is missing, the whole chain becomes unbalanced. And we are talking about one species, then you have a lot of species that also have their role and position in the ecosystem.”
How did the project that seeks to raise awareness about Patagonian sharks come about?
The Arrecife Project is mainly composed of CONICET researchers, biologists at various levels. It began in 2008 “when we were CONICET doctoral students, CONICET fellows. And now, with Gastón Trobbiani leading the Arrecife Project,” Alejo explains.
“Arrecife Project stems from our time as marine ecology researchers, studying fish, seabed ecosystems, habitats. We dedicate part of our research time to disseminating what we know and research. To convey issues and more, so basically that’s it: we are researchers who mostly investigate and part of our time, our effort, we put into transmitting that knowledge to society.”
The Arrecife Project team has an intense dissemination journey. In 2024, they carried out a series of documentaries called Mar Project with filmmaker Uriel Sokolowicz, which expects to have its fourth part released this year.
They have the possibility of adding two more documentary projects to this series involving characters from artisanal fishing, particular ecosystems with their problems and specific geographical situations, as well as a type of fishery and gastronomic product.
“We include all components in documentaries, or in a story more than a documentary, and we hope to continue doing that,” says Alejo, who also mentioned the possibility of “continuing to report on the work we will do with sharks soon, which involves tagging animals, and everything we do on scientific outreach trying to keep communicating it firmly.”
The goal of those involved in the Arrecife Project is clear: “to value, to raise awareness to protect. I mean, on the one hand, generate information that is not available about species, areas, ecosystems, disseminate it so that, through knowledge and appreciation and understanding of what we have, we can also manage those resources, that part of the natural heritage, and on the other hand, protect it.”
An important aspect of the dissemination tasks of the Arrecife Project is “Good Practices” in Recreational Fishing, a series of attitudes or ways of fishing recreationally that significantly reduce the impact of human activity on ecosystems.
“There are certain recreational fisheries, certain habits, certain things that are practically harmful or are degrading our environments, which are part of our natural and cultural heritage, and those that benefit us a lot -at least recreational fishermen-, it is an important part of our lives to have these environments, and clearly they are deteriorating.”
Photos in the article by Proyecto Arrecife
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