Southern Shark Ecology Group, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia.
MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, Sète, France.
Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 27;10(1):3563. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-60062-x.
Globally, the frequency of shark bites is rising, resulting in an increasing demand for shark deterrents and measures to lessen the impact of shark bites on humans. Most existing shark protection measures are designed to reduce the probability of a bite, but fabrics that minimise injuries when a shark bite occurs can also be used as mitigation devices. Here, we assessed the ability of the Ocean Guardian Scuba7 and Kevlar material to reduce the likelihood of blacktip reef sharks, Carcharhinus melanopterus, from feeding, and to minimise injuries from shark bites. Sharks were enticed to consume a small piece of local reef fish (bait) placed between the two Scuba7 electrodes with the deterrents randomly being turned on or kept off. In the second experiment, the bait was attached to a small pouch made of either standard neoprene or neoprene with a protective layer of Kevlar around it. The Scuba7 reduced the proportion of baits being taken by 67%, (from 100% during control trials to 33%). Sharks also took more time to take the bait when the device was active (165 ± 20.40 s vs. 38.9 ± 3.35 s), approached at a greater distance (80.98 ± 1.72 cm vs. 38.88 ± 3.20 cm) and made a greater number of approaches per trial (19.38 ± 2.29 vs. 3.62 ± 0.53) than when the Scuba7 was inactive. The sizes of punctures from shark bites were significantly smaller on neoprene with Kevlar compared to standard neoprene (3.64 ± 0.26 mm vs. 5.88 ± 0.29 mm). The number of punctures was also fewer when Kevlar was used (14.92 ± 3.16 vs. 74.1 ± 12.44). Overall, the Ocean Guardian Scuba7 and Kevlar reduced the impact of blacktip reef shark bites. These findings may help consumers make informed decisions when purchasing shark deterring and protective products.
全球范围内，鲨鱼咬伤的频率正在上升，因此人们对鲨鱼驱避剂和减轻鲨鱼咬伤对人类影响的措施的需求也在不断增加。大多数现有的鲨鱼保护措施旨在降低被咬的概率，但当鲨鱼咬伤发生时，能将伤害最小化的织物也可以用作缓解设备。在这里，我们评估了 Ocean Guardian Scuba7 和凯夫拉材料减少黑鳍礁鲨（Carcharhinus melanopterus）进食的可能性，以及减轻鲨鱼咬伤的能力。鲨鱼被诱使吞下放在两个 Scuba7 电极之间的一小块当地礁鱼（诱饵），驱避剂随机打开或关闭。在第二个实验中，诱饵被固定在一个小袋子上，这个小袋子由标准氯丁橡胶制成，或者周围有一层凯夫拉保护层。Scuba7 将被取食的诱饵比例降低了 67%（从对照试验中的 100%降至 33%）。当设备处于活动状态时，鲨鱼取食诱饵的时间也更长（165±20.40 秒 vs. 38.9±3.35 秒），它们靠近诱饵的距离也更远（80.98±1.72 厘米 vs. 38.88±3.20 厘米），每次试验的接近次数也更多（19.38±2.29 次 vs. 3.62±0.53 次），而当 Scuba7 不活跃时，鲨鱼的接近次数则更少。与标准氯丁橡胶相比，带有凯夫拉的氯丁橡胶上的鲨鱼咬伤造成的穿刺伤口明显更小（3.64±0.26 毫米 vs. 5.88±0.29 毫米）。使用凯夫拉时，穿刺的次数也更少（14.92±3.16 次 vs. 74.1±12.44 次）。总的来说，Ocean Guardian Scuba7 和凯夫拉减少了黑鳍礁鲨咬伤的影响。这些发现可能有助于消费者在购买鲨鱼驱避和保护产品时做出明智的决定。
