Welcome! To the Shark Bay Ecosystem Research Project (SBERP)
Please use the navigation bar on the left to explore the Bay, its amazing diversity of marine life and the on-going work being conducted by SBERP scientists from around the world.
Please Note: While there is plenty to keep you busy for awhile, our site is still under construction. Pardon our dust as we continue to update and refine. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know!
Marine ecoystems around the world are quickly being changed by humans. Seagrass beds are declining and populations of sharks, turtles, and sea cows have been devestated. In light of these changes, it is critical that we learn how a natural seagrass ecosystem functions and what role sharks play in marine enviorments. Only with this information can we predict how human uses of the oceans will change them and how we can begin to resotre already damaged systems.
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Shark Bay, in remote Western Australia, is one of the last large seagrass ecosystems virtually untouched by mankind. Here, were populations of tiger sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, and sea cows thrive, the Shark Bay Ecosystem Research Project is endevoring to determine how this system works. By learning why species are distributed in the ways they are and how interactions between sharks and the grazers (turtles and dugongs) structure the seagrass beds, we will be able to make recommendations about how to protect and restore other marine communities. An international collaborative project involving researchers from Florida International University and Simon Fraser University, SBERP, has begun to unravel the inner workings of the bay. In this website you will find information on how we do our work and what we have found. Also, we have tried to provide pictures and videos that teachers will find useful in their classes. We are always trying to improve our site so we welcome any comments on how to make it better! Keep checking back for new pictures, videos, and content! |
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Some Current Projects
- What is the role of tiger sharks in the community?
- Do tiger sharks structure the Shark Bay community through non-lethal effects?
- What are the primary foods of green and loggerhead sea turtles?
- Where do stigrays forage and how do they structure invertebrate communities?
- Where do tiger sharks go when they are not in the waters off Monkey Mia?
- What role do sea snakes play in the Shark Bay ecosystem?
- How do tiger sharks influence habitat use and diving behavior of sea turtles?
- How do turtles and dugongs influence the seagrass community?
- How are the species in Shark Bay linked together through their predator-prey interactions?
Major funding by:
Partnerships:
Our work wouldn't be possible without the generous assistance of a number of businesses, institutions, and individuals that have provided SBERP with invaluable support and/or services over the years. We offer them sincere thanks and provide additional information as well as links to their web sites (where available) in our 'SPONSORS' and 'LINKS' sections. If you would like to help support the non-profit Shark Bay Ecosystem Research Project with a tax-deductible donation, please contact Dr. Mike Heithaus
Special thanks to Bombardier Recreational Products and Evinrude Engines and Jopalo Boats for their recent donations for our new research vessel Blowfish II!
