Dr Andrea Marshall , co-founder of the Marine Megafauna Foundation ( MMF ), has suffered a stroke and is in intensive care . Her condition is described as ‘ serious but stable ’. The celebrated manta ray researcher had just completed two successful scuba diving expeditions in Mexico when a ruptured aneurysm brought on a right brain stroke . “ While Andrea is getting high-quality medical care , she will require a substantial amount of time and extensive rehabilitation therapy to recover , overcome setbacks and resume to the fullest extent possible her regular life ,” said Simon Pierce , who co-founded the MMF with Marshall in 2009 .

known since the 1960s that deep coral can be found off the Atlantic , the reef ’ s extent remained a mystery until new underwater mapping technology made it possible to construct 3D images of the ocean floor . The reef extends for about 310 miles from Florida to North Carolina , up to 68 miles wide and at depths ranging from 200 to 1,000 metres . Unlike tropical coral reefs , where sunlight provides energy for symbiotic algae in coral , such deep corals mostly filter food particles for energy .

PHOTO :: NOAA OCEAN EXPLORATION

PHOTO : SIMON ROGERSON

But a great place for sun worshippers turns out to be not such a great place for sharks . In fact , the Mediterranean is one of the worst places in the world to be a shark ( or ray ). The region is classified by the IUCN ( of Red List fame ) as a hotspot of extinction risk for sharks and rays . Nearly half of the 79 species are considered threatened ( compared to a third globally ) and flat sharks in particular are in a terrible tangle – often literally . One in three flat sharks are Critically Endangered , the highest level of threat , compared to one in 13 globally .

Flat sharks , not your ‘ typical ’ sharks , include the angel sharks , guitarfish , skates and rays . Beautiful bottom dwellers which , through no fault of their own , find themselves particularly vulnerable to bottom trawling . Fisheries are big business in the Mediterranean , generating $ 8 billion a year and providing half a million jobs . Fishing fleets from 26 countries vie for catch , with the vast majority of the fleet ( 82 %) made up of small-scale vessels . The flat sharks aren ’ t always the target for these fisheries but they get caught up nonetheless . And bottom trawling is particularly damaging , having the highest discard rate of all

Common guitarfish , Rhinobatos rhinobatos

fishing methods . It ’ s a challenging situation for shark conservation . The diversity of languages , cultures and routes to influence means there ’ s no one size that fits all . But all is not lost ! Last week , as part of our Mediterranean Programme , two of my colleagues spent a week at the General Fisheries Council of the Mediterranean ( GFCM ) Fish Forum in Antalya , Turkey .

Presenting a ‘ Flat Shark Showcase ’, they highlighted the work of an international collaboration of 30 + organisations working to address this conservation challenge . Through a combination of policy action , fisheries engagement and citizen science we ’ re starting to see progress . GFCM is implementing protective measures that combine spatial protection and fisheries management . They ’ ve adopted the gold standard of finning bans , improving management and strengthening enforcement . And while it ’ s too early to see signs of improvements for sharks and rays , and average fishing pressure in the region remains twice the sustainable level , there are some positives . Fishing pressure across the board has come down by 31 % since 2012 and , for sharks and rays , all Endangered and Critically Endangered species are now prohibited .

Quick wins are hard to come by , especially in such a complex environment . But collaborative working , clear focus and a whole lot of tenacity , can win through . So even when those beaches get too hot for us Brits to handle , maybe the sharks of the Mediterranean will have better chance . www . sharktrust . org

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