belas

BELAS is a 3-yr project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Technology and Universities through the Generación del Conocimiento call (PID2022-139921OA-I00), running from 2023 to 2026. The main goal of BELAS is to understand the behavioural diversity of elasmobranchs in the Ria de Vigo, a unique ecosystem and natural laboratory in Galicia (NW Spain). In a first step, BELAS will explore the diversity and distribution of sharks, rays and skates inside the Ria de Vigo. In a second step, BELAS will explore how the different species of elasmobranchs behave and in particular, potential differences among individuals in how they move and socialize with each other. We'll do so by combining the most cutting-edge technology in aquatic animal tracking with the use of stereo-video cameras and an intense laboratory analyses of the multiple samples obtained from the individuals.