At the beginning of 2025, we had the opportunity to support an ambitious research project in the relaunch of their platform: “Tracking Sharks for Conservation” is dedicated to studying the behavior of sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras in the Mediterranean. The relaunch of the tshark.it portal marks a significant step forward in advancing this research.
The Mediterranean is home to more than 80 species of sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras—over half of which are threatened. There remain significant knowledge gaps, particularly regarding the behavior and migration patterns of these animals, making it challenging to provide functional inputs for sustainable fisheries management, promote habitat protection, and implement necessary conservation measures. The “Tracking Sharks for Conservation” initiative aims to close these knowledge gaps by bringing together scientists, NGOs, fisheries authorities, and local fishers to collect vital information.
As part of various projects conducted by research institutes, fisheries management authorities, and NGOs in the Mediterranean region, sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras are tagged with highly visible markers, facilitating the recognition of individual animals. Reporting recaptures of these tagged animals is crucial for understanding their movements and improving biological knowledge. Both professional fishers and recreational anglers play a significant role in this data collection process.
The platform tshark.it, which we designed and implemented, serves as a portal to collect data on already tagged animals and to report recaptured specimens, thereby gathering essential information. Utilizing modern technologies that combine the advantages of standard web applications and contemporary programming languages, we have created a website that is user-friendly, offers intuitive navigation, and delivers high performance.
