Coral reefs depend on sharks

Research initiated by the PEW Shark Campaign has shown correlations between the balance of shark population and the balance of the marine environment, including negative impacts on corals. The impact of this research is of importance for understanding actions to protect sharks and the health of the oceans.

Production Credits:

  • Advisor: Villy Christensen

  • Production: Jeroen Steenbeek

  • Visualization: Dalai Felinto and Mike Pan

  • Funding: The Pew Environment Group


Sandin, S.A., et al. 2008. Baselines and degradation of coral reefs in the Northern Line Islands. PLoS ONE 3(2): e1548. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2244711/pdf/pone.0001548.pdfBascompte, J., Melian, C.J. and Sala, E. 2005. Interaction strength combinations and the overfishing of a marine food web. PNAS 102(15): 5443-5447. http://www.pnas.org/content/102/15/5443.full.pdf+htmlNewman, M.J.H., et al. 2006. Structure of Caribbean coral reef communities across a large gradient of fish biomass. Ecology Letters 9: 1216-1227.