Citizen Photos Reveal 44 Shark and Ray Species Along Mozambique’s Coast

Everyday photographs shared by divers, fishers and coastal residents are doing more than capture memories — they are building a growing scientific record. A recent analysis of citizen-science uploads collected between 2007 and 2025 shows that 408 observations documented 44 species of sharks and rays along Mozambique’s coastline, roughly one third of the country’s known elasmobranch fauna.

How The Data Were Compiled

Researchers used community platforms such as iNaturalist to gather and verify sightings. Observations were vetted by the platform’s community and classified by quality, with 82% of entries reaching “research grade” status (meaning sufficient metadata and community agreement on identification).

What Was Found

Rays dominated the dataset, particularly members of the families Dasyatidae (stingrays) and Mobulidae (manta and mobula rays). Sharks were mainly reported from families such as Carcharhinidae (requiem sharks) and Rhincodontidae (whale sharks). Some species—like whale sharks and several common stingrays—were recorded frequently and predictably, while others appeared only once or twice, offering rare but valuable records.

Spatial And Temporal Patterns

Records clustered strongly in southern Mozambique, especially around Inhambane and Maputo, while central and northern coasts remained comparatively quiet. Observation counts rose sharply after 2019, a trend that likely reflects increased smartphone use, tourism growth and greater participation on biodiversity platforms rather than only biological change.

Grey Reef Shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos. (Photo by Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Conservation Implications

Although citizen observations aligned closely with several designated Important Shark and Ray Areas, only a small proportion of sightings fell within existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Worryingly, 71% of the species recorded are listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List (many as Endangered or Vulnerable). This combination—concentration of observations outside MPAs and a high share of threatened species—highlights gaps in legal protection and the value of citizen data to indicate priority areas for conservation.

Reliability And Limitations

Citizen-contributed records are not a replacement for targeted scientific surveys but a powerful complement. With 82% of records classified as research grade, the dataset is generally reliable, though misidentifications and uneven sampling effort remain issues. Spatial and temporal biases reflect where people dive, photograph and upload sightings, which complicates purely biological interpretation of the data.

Takeaway: Everyday photos are expanding the geographic and temporal reach of marine monitoring in data-poor regions like Mozambique—but they must be rigorously validated, interpreted with caution, and integrated with formal surveys to guide effective conservation.

Recommendations

To maximize the scientific and conservation value of citizen data the authors recommend: targeted surveys in under-sampled regions (central and northern Mozambique), better integration of citizen records with formal monitoring programs, improved outreach and training for contributors to reduce misidentification, and evaluation of MPA placement and coverage relative to observed elasmobranch occurrences.

Note: This analysis is based on observations uploaded to platforms such as iNaturalist and was originally reported on Forbes.com.