'Hunting porcupines': citizen scientists contribute new knowledge about rare coral reef species.

Abstract

There has been growing interest in engaging citizen scientists in the collection of environmental data to inform conservation efforts and decision making, and to augment formal monitoring programmes. Citizen scientists can collect data across large spatial and temporal scales that cannot be feasibly covered through traditional research and monitoring programmes. The ‘Porcupine Ray Hunt’ was a pilot study that engaged the Australian recreational SCUBA diving community in collecting information on the porcupine ray Urogymnus asperrimus, an easily identifiable but rare and poorly understood species. ‘Crowd sourcing’ of recreational divers was achieved by advertising the programme through diving publications, the internet, e-mail lists and social media (facebook and blogs). Dive clubs, dive shops and research stations also advertised the project. Recreational divers were required to submit photographs and observations for verification and 29 new valid records were received. Submissions also included video footage of foraging and mating behaviour. The submissions received doubled the number of existing records on the species in Australia, identified distribution ‘hot spots’, provided a depth range for the species and extended the species’ range. In doing so, the project demonstrated the potential for citizen scientists to contribute valuable knowledge about rare species, addressing some of the knowledge gaps concerning the porcupine ray and providing preliminary data for future research.