Jess releases a Michael’s walking shark back to its reef home near Tufi during the most recent survey trip in March. All sharks are caught and released using University of the Sunshine Coast Animal Ethics methods, with the project approved by PNG’s National Institute of Research, and the Conservation and Environment Protection Agency
where walking sharks live, she is keen to travel further afield than Milne Bay, including Lae, Madang and Manus where there have been sightings by local divers. So far the biggest recorded was an 89cm specimen of a Michael’s walking shark found on a dive near East Cape in Milne Bay in September last year, but most are much smaller. “When they hatch from an egg they come out stripy, like black and white stripes,” says Jess. “Then they grow into their colour patterns, like they hatch at 10- 15cm and we think they develop patterns at around 25cm.” Jess said the local researchers being trained in sample collection and field work could get quite competitive. “We do have competitions, the research team – so that’s myself,
PNG rangers from the Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative with Jess after their two weeks of training in how to sample walking sharks
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