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Why Count Sharks and Rays? The mission of the Ventura County Shark & Ray Count is to establish a shark and ray population data base to be used by future generations as an indicator of past marine health.
The sharks and rays along our coastal waters comprise the apex predators, meaning they rank at the top of the marine food chain. Sharks and rays rely on the whole food web to survive, much the same as a building relies on all its columns being intact. Any one small break down in the food chain probably will not effect shark and ray populations, but many breakdowns in the food chain will certainly effect the populations. Choosing to study a lesser organism from the food chain which relies on a smaller base of pray can result in wild fluctuations of population data. These smaller organisms do not always give a clear picture of overall marine health. They usually only tell us about a small part of the environment. Because sharks and ray populations remain more stable due to their larger food chain base, changes in their populations can be a real sign of problems in the environment. We study sharks and rays because they are large, easy to track and their populations make an excellent indicator of the overall marine environment health. I hope you see the value of this research to California, our oceans and to future generations, we hope you agree and lend your support.
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