The initiative co-financed by the Government of the Canary Islands and LoroParque, monitors marine species highly sensitive to climate change
Soldecanarias.net / Island Express / Puerto de la Cruz
A total of 37 tablecloths were marked this week with an acoustic transmitter in the waters of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, in order to monitor and estimate the critical areas for this species seriously threatened with extinction, according to the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, (IUCN). This is the second monitoring campaign for this species developed by researchers from the University Institute of Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (ECOAQUA) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and LoroParqueFundación, within the framework of the CanBIO project, co-financed by the Government of the Canary Islands and LoroParque.
The use of these acoustic marks allows individual identification of the butterfly ray (Gymnuraaltavela), since the sounds are detected by fixed stations and also by reception systems installed in conventional or autonomous boats. In fact, of the 24 specimens marked in the first campaign held a year ago, one of them has been detected by the recipient of the Acuaquat project, also led by the ULPGC, which studies angel sharks. Thus, with already 61 tablecloths marked in both campaigns and thanks to the network collaboration between scientific organizations, the knowledge and possibilities of conservation of these and other species threatened by climate change are expanded.
The importance of this initiative rests on the fact that “despite the fact that the coastal waters of our Archipelago are recognized as one of the last bastions of this species, thanks to these acoustic marking campaigns, it is possible to improve the knowledge of a large part of its biology, ecology, population distribution, migratory movements or other relevant data ”for its protection, indicated the researcher who coordinates CanBio and director of the LoroParqueFundación, Dr. Javier Almunia.
This activity is carried out within BioMAR, a line of action within the CanBIO Project that is dedicated, among other aspects, to improving information on the populations of certain critically endangered marine species. In this regard, the researcher at the ULPGC and head of the subproject on marking of Mantelinas and Angels, David Jiménez Alvarado, explained that “using this type of ultrasound transmitters, in a way similar to the popular microchips that identify pets, it is possible to carry out identification hundreds of meters away ”. Furthermore, «with the expansion of receptors it will be possible to discover a little more every day about the behavior and use of habitat of this species», he concluded.
Both markings took place on the beach of La Pinta in Adeje, with 4 specimens, 14 in Los Cristianos (both from Tenerife) and 19 in the Playa de Pasito Blanco, in Gran Canaria. With the marking process completed, researchers from the SIANI University Institute and technicians from the Integrated Marine Technology Service (SITMA), both linked to the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, will soon carry out campaigns with autonomous vehicles (the sailboat A-Tirma and underwater gliders) to better understand the size of the mantelina populations and their movements in the Archipelago.
About Canbio
CanBIO is an environmental research program funded in equal parts by the Government of the Canary Islands and LoroParque with two million euros, which will be invested to study over the next 4 years, climate change in the sea and ocean acidification and its effects on the marine biodiversity of the Canary Islands and Macaronesia. Likewise, different research groups from the University of La Laguna and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria participate in the project, as well as other environmental volunteer groups.