Moss Landing lab plays major role in international shark research

A new international study assessed all known shark species for the first time. A lot of the assessment was done at Moss Landing.

It’s a passion like no other for David Ebert.

“When you are a little boy or little girl you kind of get interested in sharks and dinosaurs and you just kind of never grow out of it,” said Ebert.

Because of that Ebert jumped at the chance to be co-author in a worldwide shark research project. The director for the Shark Pelagic Research Center at Moss Landing, joined 22 authors 10 years ago to assess the status of sharks and rays. The research was published Tuesday.

Two years ago Central Coast News caught up with Moss Landing Marine Lab researchers when they got back from a trip to the Indian Ocean with some new species.

Ebert said Moss Landing Marine Lab students contributed to 15 percent of the assessments.

“That’s more than any other institution in the world towards this study,” said Ebert.

The research found that 40 percent of species were data deficient.

“Another large part of them are not even named. We don’t have a described name asserted to them,” said Ebert.

What’s more , of the 1,200 known shark and ray species, a quarter are threatened with extinction because of over-fishing, by catch fishing and habitat degradation.

“It’s one of those unintended consequences. If something goes away what might happen? I don’t want to wait around till something disappears and then we go, ‘Oh gee what should we have done?'” he said.

Ebert said the biggest concern is unknown shark species are getting the cold shoulder from conservation efforts. This research will shine a light on how to keep them alive.