Application of Photo-Identification and Lengthened Deployment Periods to Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS) Abundance Estimates of Coral Reef Sharks

Summary: This study assesses the efficacy of combining photo-identification and extended deployment durations in BRUVS to estimate shark populations more accurately. The authors demonstrate how integrating these methods improves the detection of individual reef sharks, reduces sampling bias, and enhances data robustness for long-term monitoring. The results support the adoption of non-invasive, cost-effective technologies in marine biodiversity surveys and underline their value for informing sustainable management of coral reef ecosystems where sharks are keystone predators under increasing anthropogenic pressure.

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