Résumé
Observers of the Polynesian Shark Observatory (ORP), a citizen science
network organized mainly through the Polynesian dive centers, collected an
unprecedented amount of data in 43% of the islands of French Polynesia
between July 8, 2011, and April 11, 2018, during 13,916 dives. The
objective of such a data collection, not accessible to standard research
resources, was to provide a unique dataset, offering the opportunity to
explore the specific diversity, distribution, seasonality and abundance of
many elasmobranch species spread out throughout the overall French
Polynesia territory. Indeed, since the data are based on random citizen
observation, the spatial distribution was biased toward the most
frequented sites and islands where the scuba diving activity is mostly
developed. Overall, the increase in observed abundance of rays and sharks
observed in French Polynesia and the three most sampled islands, as well
as the high specific diversity recorded for the region, provide the first
evidence of the effectiveness of the Shark Sanctuary established in 2006.
These data, collected randomly by the volunteers, also give insights about
potential movement patterns and site fidelity of some species more often
seen. While not leading to final conclusion, the network of volunteers
filling with information to the Polynesian Shark Observatory is essential
in giving preliminary results and research perspectives and directions for
future projects on sharks and rays in French Polynesia.