Team Bio

We are a team of shark ecologists and fisheries scientists. This project continues the collaboration between Newcastle University and MARECO, with a team of existing partners. Sol specialises in sensory deterrents for reducing bycatch of marine megafauna. Per specialises in low-cost solutions for assessing and reducing bycatch of marine megafauna populations. Gonzo specialises in blue shark ecology and is the founder of MARECO.

Sol Lucas

I am a marine ecologist and mechanical engineer with a love of sharks. I am a PhD student studying threats, status and bycatch reduction techniques to promote the conservation of marine megafauna, with a focus on elasmobranchs (sharks and rays).

I investigate the use of sensory deterrents to reduce bycatch of marine megafauna. This involves filming the responses of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) to ferrite magnets using pelagic baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) and testing magnetic treatments on fishing lines.

I am interested also in how elasmobranchs respond to ecological change, conducting analyses on 35 shark and ray species to predict population responses to environmental variability using dynamic energy budget models. These models require basic life-history information, which is an advantage for often poorly-studied species.

I first got into sharks when I was 8. My mum bought me a pack of Sharks Top Trumps cards - I loved comparing all of the stats and was hooked immediately.

Professor Per Berggren

I am a multi-disciplinary researcher and leader of the Marine MEGAfauna Lab, Newcastle University. I lead large national and international research projects and supervising students at all University levels. I am internationally recognised in my field of marine megafauna conservation biology particularly in my research efforts in data poor developing countries and development of technical low-cost assessment and mitigation methodologies. I serve on expert panels for the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group).

We are currently working on cetacean bycatch reduction programmes using low-cost technologies in South American and East African gillnet fisheries. We are looking to expand this work to bycatch reduction programmes for longliners, by investigating the effects of electrosensory deterrents on elasmobranchs.

Dr. Gonzalo Araujo

I am a marine scientist and conservationist. I have been working in marine megafauna research and conservation for over 10 years.

In 2020 I founded Marine Research and Conservation Foundation (MARECO), through which I could channel my work and dedication for the marine environment. I work with a variety of different species and with an extensive array of methods including telemetry, genetics and photo-ID. I am a member of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group and support many projects and colleagues around the world. In 2022 I joined Qatar University as a Postdoctoral Associate Researcher.

I have worked with both partner organisations (Celtic Deep and Blue Shark Snorkel) on other research projects. These have included eDNA, genetics and stereo-laser photogrammetry to research blue sharks and the environment around them. We are now investigating the use of deterrents for reducing shark bycatch in longline fisheries.