With a special interest in sharks and rays, they look to characterise the structure and function of natural ecosystems and develop solutions for sustainable ocean use. Taking advantage of unorthodox data sources, they attempt to fill knowledge gaps that inform important ecological systems.

The name SeaQL stands for a turning point in marine conservation and sustainability. The team are committed to writing a bright sequel in the history of ocean use by embracing the big data revolution and advances in analytics and ocean technology. Currently, the SeaQL lab works in the realms of ecoinformatics, fisheries sciences, quantitative ecology, and technology development for ocean monitoring. The latter involves developing innovations to combat illegal fishing and monitor large stretches of the ocean, including large marine protected areas, mega-reserves, and ocean sanctuaries.

Dr. Francesco Ferretti is a professor of Fisheries Management at Virginia Tech who has been actively involved in shark ecology and conservation for over 18 years. Last year, he and his lab presented two talks on the critically endangered Mediterranean white shark population at the Global White Shark Conference, a five-day professional meeting of white shark scientists, researchers, and specialists worldwide, held in Port Lincoln, Australia, between November 12th and 17th, 2023.

Details of the presentations
Ferretti and his team shed light on the Mediterranean White Shark population, one of the least studied and most endangered populations globally. Through a general high-level talk, a more detailed presentation, and a poster on detecting these animals with innovative approaches, they showcased the white Shark Chase, an unprecedented collaborative initiative to find and study the remaining white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, the team conducted pilot expeditions in the Sicilian Channel, which have been critical in finding strongholds of this population and better understand their ecology and conservation needs.