David James Curnick

Zoological Society of London · Institute of Zoology

The efficacy of large marine protected areas (MPA) for the conservation of mobile pelagic species is widely debated. Here, we quantified spatial and temporal trends in standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE) of two target pelagic species, yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the Indian Ocean to analyze the impact of t...

Given the recent trend towards establishing very large marine protected areas (MPAs) and the high potential of these to contribute to global conservation targets, we review outcomes of the last decade of marine conservation research in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), one of the largest MPAs in the world. The BIOT MPA consists of the atol...

Mapping and predicting the potential risk of fishing activities to large marine protected areas (MPAs), where management capacity is low but fish biomass may be globally important, is vital to prioritizing enforcement and maximizing conservation benefits. Drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) are a highly effective fishing method employed in pu...

Silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) represent a major component of global shark catch, both directly and as bycatch, and populations are declining as a result. An improved understanding of their movement ecology is needed to support conservation efforts. We deployed satellite and acoustic tags (2013–2018) and analyzed historical fisheries recor...

Stable‐isotope analyses (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and δ³⁴S) of multiple tissues (fin, muscle, red blood cells and plasma), revealed ontogenetic shifts in resource use by grey reef sharks Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos and resource partitioning with silvertip sharks Carcharhinus albimarginatus within the British Indian Ocean Territory marine protected area (MPA). Res...

Robust species-level methods for quantifying ecological differences have yet to be incorporated into conservation strategies. Here, we describe a new approach to measure the unique contribution of species to overall functional diversity and incorporate it into an actionable conservation metric. The Functionally Distinct and Globally Endangered (FuD...

Passive acoustic monitoring can offer insights into the state of coral reef ecosystems at low-costs and over extended temporal periods. Comparison of whole soundscape properties can rapidly deliver broad insights from acoustic data, in contrast to the more detailed but time-consuming analysis of individual bioacoustic signals. However, a lack of ef...

Despite their ban and restriction under the 2001 Stockholm Convention, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are still widespread and pervasive in the environment. Releases of these toxic and bioaccumulative chemicals are ongoing, and their contribution to population declines of marine mammals is of global concern. To safeguard their survival, it is...

The order Lamniformes contains charismatic species such as the white shark Carcharodon carcharias and extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon, and is of particular interest given their influence on marine ecosystems, and because some members exhibit regional endothermy. However, there remains significant debate surrounding the prevalence and evolu...

Three Odontaspis ferox (confirmed by mtDNA barcoding) were found in the English Channel and Celtic Sea in 2023 at Lepe, UK (50.7846, −1.3508), Kilmore Quay, Ireland (52.1714, −6.5937), and Lyme Bay, UK (50.6448, −2.9302). These are the first records of O. ferox in either country, and extend the species' range by over three degrees of latitude, to >...

Vertical space use informs the ecology and management of marine species, but studies of reef-associated sharks often focus on horizontal movements. We analysed the vertical movements of silvertip sharks Carcharhinus albimarginatus using pop-up archival tags deployed on 7 individuals in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean. The sharks change...

The white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a globally distributed, ecologically important top predator whose biology and population dynamics are challenging to study. Basic biological parameters remain virtually unknown in the Mediterranean Sea due to its historically low population density, dwindling population size, and lack of substantial sight...

Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first globa...

As elasmobranchs are becoming increasingly threatened, efficient methods for monitoring the distribution and diversity of elasmobranch populations are required. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a progressively applied technique that enables mass identification of entire communities and is an effective method for the detection of rare and e...

As elasmobranchs are becoming increasingly threatened, efficient methods for monitoring the distribution and diversity of elasmobranch populations are required. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a progressively applied technique that enables mass identification of entire communities and is an effective method for the detection of rare and e...

Natural history documentary films can be a powerful tool for wildlife conservation, providing an accessible means to increase public knowledge of the natural world. There has been an increasing focus in documentary films on the threats to biodiversity in recent years that has positively aided conservation efforts. However, potential ethical and wel...

We are in the midst of a revolution in satellite technology, with the rapid development and advancement of small satellites (or SmallSats, i.e., satellites <180 kg). Here, we review the opportunities and challenges that such technology might afford in the field of conservation and ecology. SmallSat constellations may yield higher resolutions than t...

Area coverage of large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) (LSMPAs, > 100,000 km²) is rapidly increasing globally. Their effectiveness largely depends on successful detection and management of non-compliance. However, for LSMPAs this can be difficult due to their large size, often remote locations and a lack of understanding of the social drivers o...

• A wide array of technologies are available for gaining insight into the movement of wild aquatic animals. Although acoustic telemetry can lack the fine‐scale spatial resolution of some satellite tracking technologies, the substantially longer battery life can yield important long‐term data on individual behavior and movement for low per‐unit cost...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly toxic and persistent aquatic pollutants that are known to bioaccumulate in a variety of marine mammals. They have been associated with reduced recruitment rates and population declines in multiple species. Evidence to date documents effects of PCB exposures on female reproduction, but few studies have inv...

For centuries, mangrove forests and adjacent ecosystems have been cast in a negative light due to their (often perceived) ecosystem disservices. We give contemporary examples of how such viewpoints about mangroves continue to be communicated today, with potentially adverse consequences for mangrove conservation and public support. Since public perc...

Editorial on the Research Topic Coral Reefs in the Anthropocene – Reflecting on 20 Years of Reef Conservation UK

Large, remote marine protected areas (MPAs) containing both reef and pelagic habitats, have been shown to offer considerable refuge to populations of reef‐associated sharks. Many large MPAs are, however, impacted by illegal fishing activity conducted by unlicensed vessels. While enforcement of these reserves is often expensive, it would likely bene...

The Chagos archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) has been lacking in detailed genetic studies of its chondrichthyan populations. Chondrichthyes in Chagos continue to be endangered through illegal fishing operations, necessitating species distribution and abundance studies to facilitate urgent monitoring and conservation of the sp...

We report the first mitochondrial genome sequences for the gray reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos. Two specimens from the British Indian Ocean Territory were sequenced independently using two different next generation sequencing methods, namely short read sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq and long read sequencing on the Oxford Nanopore Technolo...

Mobulid populations are declining on a global scale as a result of both targeted fisheries and indirect anthropogenic threats. In order to implement effective conservation strategies for species of this taxa, it is crucial that movement patterns at a range of spatiotemporal scales are defined. To gain insight into such patterns, we deployed a combi...

Background There are now a wide array of field and laboratory techniques available for gaining insight into the movement and behaviour of sharks. Although acoustic telemetry may lack the fine-scale resolution of some satellite technologies, the low cost and longer battery life make it a powerful tool for investigating elasmobranch behaviour. Here,...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are toxic, persistent, and lipophilic chemical compounds that accumulate to high levels in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and other cetaceans. It is important to monitor PCBs in wildlife, particularly in highly exposed populations to understand if concentrations are declining and how levels relate to toxicolog...

Background There are now a wide array of field and laboratory techniques available for gaining insight into the movement and behaviour of sharks. Although acoustic telemetry may lack the fine-scale resolution of satellite telemetry, the low cost and longer battery life make it a powerful tool for investigating elasmobranch behaviour. Here, in the a...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of 209 persistent and bio-accumulative toxic pollutants present as complex mixtures in human and animal tissues. Harbor porpoises accumulate some of the highest levels of PCBs because they are long-lived mammals that feed at a high trophic level. Studies typically use the sum of a suite of individual chl...

Recently, several large marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established globally, and it is hoped that they will aid the recovery of populations of highly mobile, large pelagic species. Understanding the distribution of these species within MPAs is key to delivering effective management, but monitoring can be challenging over such vast areas of...

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have become an increasingly important tool to protect and conserve marine resources. However, there remains much debate about how effective MPAs are, especially in terms of their ability to protect mobile marine species such as teleost and chondrichthyan fishes.We used satellite and acoustic tags to assess the ability...

Abstract Acoustic tagging is typically used to gather data on the spatial ecology of diverse marine taxa, informing questions about spatio-temporal attributes such as residency and home range, but detection data may also reveal unanticipated insights. Many species demonstrate predictable site fidelity, and so a sudden cessation of detections for mu...

Scientific monitoring has recorded only a recent fraction of the oceans’ alteration history. This biases our understanding of marine ecosystems. Remote coral reef ecosystems are often considered pristine because of high shark abundance. However, given the long history and global nature of fishing, sharks’ vulnerability, and the ecological consequen...

This Training Manual is an abridged version of the Manual on Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation – Mangrove Manual Series No. 1 by Primavera JH, Savaris JP, Bajoyo BE, Coching JD, Curnick DJ, Golbeque RL, Guzman AT, Henderin JQ, Joven RV, Loma RA & Koldewey HJ (2012).

Drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) are widely used in tropical tuna purse seine fisheries to aggregate fish and make them easier to catch. The use of dFADs has been associated with a number of potential positive and negative impacts, touching on a range of ecological, economic and social issues. One negative environmental impact of dFADs is...

In this thesis I assess the efficacy of large no-take marine protected areas (MPAs), known as marine reserves, in safeguarding mobile pelagic predators. The creation of reserves excludes fisheries, so while removing a pressure, it also removes a key source of data on pelagic predators. Therefore, I also evaluate two fisheries-independent monitoring...

Read the Feature Paper: Setting evolutionary‐based conservation priorities for a phylogenetically data‐poor taxonomic group (Scleractinia) and the Commentaries on this Feature Paper: Valuing species on the cheap; Conservation prioritization in the context of uncertainty; Regional specific approach is a next step for setting evolutionary‐based conse...

Given the current extinction crisis coupled with the shortfall in funding, there is a pressing need to establish species conservation priorities. The prioritization of phylogenetic diversity and evolutionary distinctiveness is one approach; however, taking such an approach requires more phylogenetic data than are currently available for most taxa....

Previous blue carbon studies have focused on discrete carbon stock assessments and overarching systematic reviews which broadly speculate that it may be economically viable to incorporate mangroves into existing carbon finance platforms. There is a discernible need to test this hypothesis through case-specific investigations that determine this pre...

Over the past 25years it has become apparent that European eel recruitment has declined despite increased awareness and the development of protective legislation at local, national and European levels. A number of factors in both the freshwater and marine environment have been identified as potentially causing the decline, but there is little evide...

On 1st April 2010, the British Government announced designation of the British Indian Ocean Territory--or Chagos Archipelago--as the world's largest marine protected area (MPA). This near pristine ocean ecosystem now represents 16% of the worlds fully protected coral reef, 60% of the world's no-take protected areas and an uncontaminated reference s...