Joanna Barker

Zoological Society of London | IoZ · Conservation & Policy

We report the first case of partial albinism in the Critically Endangered Angelshark, Squatina squatina. The encounter with this specimen took place while SCUBA diving on the beach of Tufia, located on the east coast of the island of Gran Canaria on April 2, 2021. This is also the first confirmed finding of an albino elasmobranch specimen in the Ca...

Angel sharks are among the most threatened species of sharks globally. Twenty-two species have been identified globally so far, with three species being present in the Mediterranean Sea: Squatina aculeata, Squatina oculata, and Squatina squatina. The Mediterranean populations of all three species have been assessed as Critically Endangered by the I...

• As an increasingly important resource in ecological research, citizen scientists have proven dynamic and cost-effective in the supply of data for use within habitat suitability models. With predictions critical to the provision of effective conservation measures in cryptic marine species, this study delivers baseline ecological data for the Criti...

Three species of Critically Endangered angel shark are present in the Mediterranean with overlapping ranges: • Squatina aculeata Sawback Angelshark (EN), Esfen Moshaoak-shkatleo (LY) • Squatina oculata Smoothback Angelshark (EN), Esfen Mobaka-shkatleo (LY) • Squatina squatina Angelshark (EN), Esfen-shkatleo (LY) The Mediterranean Angel Sharks: Regi...

Angel sharks (Squatina spp.) are distributed in warm temperate to tropical waters around the world. Many species occur in shelf seas and exhibit seasonal inshore‐offshore migrations, moving inshore to give birth. Consequently, there can be high spatial overlap between angel shark populations with fisheries and other human activities. Their dorso‐ve...

Wales is one of the only places in north-west Europe with regular sightings of the Critically Endangered Angelshark (Squatina squatina) over the last decade. This species is protected in Wales, through inclusion on both the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act’ and ‘Environment (Wales) Act’ (Table 1), but little is known about its status, ecology or locat...

• The identification and effective protection of nursery areas is critical for elasmobranch conservation. Research on the angelshark (Squatina squatina ) is in its infancy, and is particularly challenging during the early life stages, in part because of their rarity, but also because of their camouflage and cryptic behaviour. • Focused research on...

The Mediterranean is a hotspot of extinction risk for chondrichthyans, making it a priority region for conservation action. Angel sharks are an example of one of the families where all species present in the region are threatened. The Mediterranean Angel Sharks: Regional Action Plan provides a conservation roadmap and acts as a call to action for s...

IUCN Red List Assessment for Smoothback Angelshark (Squatina oculata)

IUCN Red List Assessment for Angelshark (Squatina squatina)

IUCN Red List Assessment for Sawback Angelshark (Squatina aculeata)

Understanding the details of local and regional extinctions allows for more efficient allocation of conservation activities and resources. This involves identifying where populations persist, where populations may still be present, and where populations may be locally extinct. Three threatened angel sharks occur in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterr...

Research on the values of fish populations and fisheries has primarily focused on bio‐economic aspects; a more nuanced and multidimensional perspective is mostly neglected. Although a range of social aspects is increasingly being considered in fisheries research, there is still no clear understanding as to how to include these additional values wit...

The Eastern Atlantic & Mediterranean Angel Shark Conservation Strategy has been developed to act as a catalyst for conservation action for the three Critically Endangered angel sharks found in these regions - the Angelshark (Squatina squatina), Sawback Angelshark (S.aculeata), and Smoothback Angelshark (S. oculata).

1. Angel sharks are among the most threatened fish worldwide, facing regional and global extinction. In Europe, populations of the three Critically Endangered angel sharks (Squatina aculeata, Squatina oculata and Squatina squatina) have been severely depleted. 2. Taking advantage of the last global 'hotspot' of the angelshark, Squatina squatina, th...

1. Angel sharks are among the most threatened fish worldwide, facing regional and global extinction. In Europe, populations of the three Critically Endangered angel sharks (Squatina aculeata, Squatina oculata and Squatina squatina) have been severely depleted. 2. Taking advantage of the last global 'hotspot' of the angelshark, Squatina squatina, th...

The Angel Shark Project (a joint project created by the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Zoological Society of London, and Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig), the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and the Shark Trust organised a four-day workshop in Gran Canaria in June 2016 to develop the Angelshark Action Plan for the Canary Isla...

Our goal is to ensure that important life stages of fish species and their habitats are protected in the Tidal Thames. We have developed this Guidance Document for Developers, Planners, Biodiversity or Environmental Officers in Local Government and Ecological Consultants to provide a single point of reference for information relating to fish conser...

Bottlenose dolphin group size is known to be determined by food availability, social interactions and predator defence. This paper analyses data gathered over seven years from dolphin tour boats operating in the Shannon Estuary and examines whether there were any temporal or spatial trends in group size of the resident group of bottlenose dolphins...

Catching angels: Habitat use, population structure and growth rates of juvenile Angelsharks (Squatina squatina) in a nursery area Meyers E1, Jiménez Alvarado D2, Escánez A3, Crespo A3 Barker J4, Marrero J3 1Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (Angel Shark Project) 2EcoAqua, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Angel Shark Project) 3...

Angel Sharks are among the most threatened fish worldwide, facing regional and global extinction. In Europe, populations of the three Critically Endangered Angel Sharks (Squatina aculeata, Squatina oculata and Squatina squatina) have been severely depleted. Taking advantage of the last global ’hotspot’ of the Angelshark, Squatina squatina, this stu...

The critically endangered Angelshark (Squatina squatina) has suffered a vast fragmentation of its former distribution range, leaving the Canary Islands as a unique “hotspot”. Here, Angelsharks are present all year around, showing a spatial abundance gradient from the easternmost towards the westernmost islands of the archipelago. Local recreational...

In 2004, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) launched the Thames Marine Mammal Sightings Survey (TMMSS) to collect opportunistic public sightings of marine mammals in the Greater Thames Estuary. This survey was created to fill a critical data gap on the distribution of marine mammals around the UK coast in order to inform conservation efforts. T...

The Critically Endangered Angelshark (Squatina squatina) has suffered a vast fragmentation of its former distribution, leaving the Canary Islands as a unique “hotspot”, where this species can be still regularly encountered. Despite being the most popular shark in the archipelago, information on its spatial distribution patterns, habitat use, abunda...

To understand how harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) use the Greater Thames Estuary and to calculate a harbour seal population estimate for the region.

The project combined the use of telemetry (tagging) and population surveys, to gather detailed ecological and behavioural data to better inform conservation and management of the Thames Estuary harbour seal population.