Abstract

With more than 50 species of sharks and rays recorded, the French West Indies (FWI) harbor a significant specific diversity. However, this diversity is fragile with over 35% of species listed on the IUCN Red List and 33% near-threatened. Yet, there is no local action plan for sharks and rays conservation. For various reasons (large relative abundance compared to other islands of the FWI, shark sanctuaries in the neighboring Netherlands islands of Saba and Sint-Maarten...) the development of conservation measures in St Barth would constitute major headway for the protection of sharks and rays in the FWI. This project aims to develop and promote local, tailor-made conservation measures for elasmobranchs populations and human activities (including fishing) and to build a positive dynamic around these animals, suffering from bad reputation. The methodology rests on a strong collaboration with local stakeholders (fishermen, diving centers, elected officials, tourism representatives ...), through surveys, workshops and meetings. On a small island like St Barts, where tourism and fishing are both important, work and collaboration with stakeholders are essential, and communication is indispensible to foster the adhesion of the inhabitants to the project, and ensure the regulatory changes it entails are understood. The French West Indies suffer from a crying lack of data on elasmobranch populations that frequent their waters, which this project aims to address; local ecological knowledge is collected and combined with data from scientific monitoring to improve biological, ecological and socio-economic knowledge and to highlight priority threats. This multi-stakeholder, participatory, and structured approach on this small island also lays relevant foundations for future conservation initiatives

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