21 eggs from Cairns Marine: Behind-the-scenes of our biggest shipment yet
Written by Made Abiyoga (Research and Conservation Officer, Thrive Conservation)
First published as a two-part story in Bird’s Head Seascape
Biggest egg shipment for the StAR Project
2023 proved to be a demanding year for the StAR Project team. Despite reaching pivotal milestones, and experiencing many ‘firsts’, navigating through this year of uncertainty has been nothing short of a challenge. That is not to say, however, that the year ended on a negative note; actually it ended with a BANG!
The StAR Project relies on its aquarium partners to provide eggs that can be reared in our two specialized shark nurseries. Our goals for the number of sharks to be raised and released annually has long been set, yet the drive to breed and its successful outcome, rely solely on the parent sharks. Unfortunately, this has been a rather slow reproduction year for our broodstock. Nevertheless, despite several incidents of unsuccessful copulations and production of unviable eggs, we managed to conduct 2 successful egg shipments in September and October, consisting of 2 and 1 egg respectively. Indeed this is a small number but at the end of the day, every shark counts.
Misool Foundation aquarist candling an egg which arrived from Shark Reef Aquarium earlier on. Photo by Kyra Wicaksono.
In the past year, the Indonesian government has also taken the great initiative to streamline their permit application process by developing an online ‘national single window’, centralizing all the relevant governmental agencies into a coordinated system. But, as with all things new, navigating through the system still proved to be a rather foreign process. With the year’s end approaching, we had yet to meet our initial expectations, but we were ready to enter the new year with numerous learned lessons under our belt and with new approaches to tackling administration and operational challenges.
We had received all the eggs expected for 2023, until news broke of a potential shipment in December. Right before our team were to depart for their holidays, confirmation of 21 viable eggs was given from Cairns Marine in Australia. With a limited time window available for a shipment, and the annual permit’s expiration fast approaching, the team went into full swing in preparation for what was to be the project’s largest shipment to date.
Dr. Mark Erdmann (Conservation International), Dr. Lisa Hooper (Georgia Aquarium) and Dr. Alistair Dove (Georgia Aquarium) joined Lyle Squire (CEO, Cairns Marine) to have a look at the eggs before they were shipped to Indonesia. Photo by Mark Erdmann.
In case the magnitude of this shipment is not obvious, these 21 eggs have, almost single-handedly, put both shark hatcheries in Kri (North Raja Ampat) and Misool (South Raja Ampat) at full egg capacity – a long-awaited event consistently worked towards by the international ReShark coalition. All of the eggs were generously donated by Cairns Marine, and are part of our first translocation from a healthy wild population to Indonesia. The eggs have since safely arrived in their respective nurseries and are under the care of our aquarists.
Toward this milestone, the greatest acknowledgement goes out to everyone involved in the process of making this shipment successful – from the Australian shipment group, the ground team in Jakarta and Sorong for relaying the eggs, all drivers and boat captains, as well as the field teams in Raja Ampat, all dedicated to resharking our ocean.
Eggs at Cairns Marine. Photo by Mark Erdmann.
From Australia to Jakarta and off to Raja Ampat
Those who have been following along with the story of the StAR Project, will know about the long journey of each shark from their public aquarium origin, to their nurseries in Raja Ampat, before hatching, and finally being released into the wild. Though the journey seems rather straightforward, a lot of planning and logistical coordination is required for every single shipment – be it for a single egg, or as in our latest shipment, 21! Throughout their long journeys, our shark eggs must pass through quarantine. More importantly, however, they must have a stopover where they receive a water change, which keeps the “packaging water” highly-oxygenated throughout the duration of travel.
During their stopover in Jakarta, our local aquarium partner and certified quarantine facility, Jakarta Aquarium and Safari (JAQS) hosts the eggs for as long as needed before being flown to Sorong. Their role in our shipments is crucial as the eggs need to be maintained and monitored until they receive a green light for domestic travel. In a nutshell, JAQS’ job as a quarantine facility is divided into a few steps: (1) unpack the eggs and record water parameters, (2) ‘candle’ the eggs to monitor their condition, (3) feed low-pressure water from the quarantine tanks into the travel bags, (4) move the eggs into their quarantine tanks once the water parameters in the travel bags and the tanks have stabilized.
Jakarta Aquarium and Safari team hard at work unboxing the eggs to prepare them for quarantine. Photo by Made Abiyoga / Kyra Wicaksono.
Candling one of the eggs to check on the shark embryo and remaining yolk. Photo by Made Abiyoga / Kyra Wicaksono.
During our latest and largest shipment, the quarantine process was especially important, ensuring that the 21 eggs stay alive and healthy. Our staff arrived at the facility around 10:30 pm, and were greeted by the full JAQS team. All hands were on deck as we unloaded the boxes from the cars and into their facility. It was full-on; seeing the team’s full effort…sparing not a single moment, their fast-paced movements were like clockwork. Every piece of equipment had been meticulously prepared, and every team member knew their unspoken tasks. Their confidence allowed me to comfortably inspect each egg to ensure they were still alive. Water was flowing, parameters were taken, bags were aerated, and before we knew it, the eggs were acclimated and in their aquarium tanks. With hours passing like minutes, already a couple hours past midnight, all the eggs were finally safe within their designated quarantine tanks. Time gradually slowed down and the weight on our shoulders lifted. We could sleep soundly that night knowing that the eggs were in the best of hands.
Little did we know that the coordinated handling of this shipment (the largest and least expected…so far), would be a true reflection of the pure commitment and dedication that every single partner has in ReSharking Raja Ampat. Massive gratitude goes out to the Cairns Marine team in Australia for shipping the eggs despite experiencing a cyclone, as well as to the JAQS team for their immense support in serving as the intermediate link for our long-traveled shark eggs!
Newly-arrived eggs in their quarantine tanks. Photo by Made Abiyoga / Kyra Wicaksono.
Kudos to our Indonesian team comprising staff from Jakarta Aquarium and Safari, Thrive Conservation, Misool Foundation and Konservasi Indonesia! Photo by Made Abiyoga / Kyra Wicaksono.
