Collection of the bull shark specimen and related photographs through citizen science methods in the Oyodo River System, Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan: a case study of social networking services and mass media application

The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is a harmful species for humans as well as the “vulnerable” species of the IUCN Red List. Therefore, it is necessary to accumulate the scientific data in distribution and habitat utilization to establish policies that balance both public safety and conservation of this endangered predator. After the publication in photographic record of the species from an estuary of Japanese mainland (Oyodo River System, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu), the information was disseminated publicly through the various social networking services (SNSs) and mass medias. As a result, some citizen viewers of these medias contacted an ichthyologist (the first author) providing additional photographs of the carp suspected to be preyed on by the bull shark and a shark individual (caught from the same river system) being the first specimen record of the species from Japanese mainland. The present study reports these new materials related to the bull shark occurrence as an example of scientific contribution of SNSs and mass medias to enhance public interests on citizen science and accumulate information in publicly important species.