Grantee Spotlight: Project SIARC
On the Edge Fund, Conservation grantee spotlight
05/05/2025
Did you know there’s an angel in the UK’s waters? There’s also a heavenly bunch of people trying to save it.
Sharks Inspiring Action and Research with Communities (SIARC), a joint project led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Natural Resources Wales, is putting a spotlight on the extremely rich Welsh underwater marine environment using little-understood species of shark, skate and ray.
Project SIARC’s work
On the Edge’s support focuses on the Angelshark, one of SIARC’s flagship species, as they are some of the most glorious yet endangered fish in European waters. The survival of sharks, skates and rays is threatened mainly by targeted and incidental catch by fishers, as well as pollution and habitat destruction. Project SIARC has partnered with fishers, researchers, and communities to collaborate and safeguard sharks, skates, and rays to support a green recovery in Wales.
Project SIARC uses Baited Remote Underwater Video System (BRUVS) surveys with the support of fishers to capture footage of Angelsharks and other marine species. The footage captured is uploaded on Instant Wild, an online platform where citizen scientists can help identify species around the world. Instant Wild allows anyone with an interest in the marine environment to actively help conservation by ‘tagging’ species in underwater BRUVs footage. The team also ensures fishers' knowledge is preserved for future generations, coordinates an extensive community outreach and education programme, and contributes to bettering our knowledge of this elusive species.
Name:
Sharks Inspiring Action and Research with Communities (SIARC)
Country of origin:
Wales, UK
Species of choice:
Angelshark (CR)
