How little we know There ’ s life beyond Shark Week , says Paul Cox , who says we should turn our attention to the impact of global fisheries
national parks in Mexico and any one of them could be the next to be closed .”
The next battle is expected to be a legal one , with numerous actions brought by the operators and awaiting their day in court . “ All it takes is one friendly judge and Guadalupe will be open the next day ,” the source said . “ Our boats and crew are on standby , ready to go .”
This month I ’ ve been knee deep in shark science . As organisers of the 4th Sharks International conference in Valencia this year , we ’ ve been thrilled to be bombarded with literally hundreds of talk proposals from shark scientists and conservationists across the world . It ’ s quite mind-boggling to see the range of work being done globally to gain a better understanding of sharks , the threats they face and the many different ways that they can be protected .
While new species continue to be identified and the status of known species is reviewed and , all too often downgraded ( or upgraded , I ’ m never too sure which way around this should be ) to a higher level of threat , there are new insights into the basic biology and behaviour of many species .
It ’ s amazing in many ways how little is still known about this most charismatic group of animals . For instance , a cursory glance at the content of Discovery ’ s Shark Week this year demonstrated that there is still a very narrow focus on sharks in the popular media with the great whites , as ever , dominating the schedule . But outside that bubble there ’ s a growing appreciation of the diversity of shark and ray species , and a more nuanced view of what sharks are all about .
Shark science is improving all the time , gradually unlocking a treasure trove of secrets about these remarkable animals . But sadly , it ’ s also revealing just how threatened the group is . In 2014 the first full review of shark and ray species estimated that a quarter were under threat of extinction . Only seven years later , after a much deeper dive into the data , that number was increased to a third . And the impact of fisheries is becoming harder to ignore .
The 2021 report concluded that , of all species under threat , the major threat in every case was fisheries . So , when we meet in October for Sharks International , fisheries will be high on the agenda as we seek to find ways that science and advocacy can work ever more closely to resolve the issues facing these precious animals . www . sharktrust . org
Norwegian wildlife officials had contacted BDMLR for advice , and initially followed its tactic of asking the public to keep their distance . However , this was not followed up with physical action to ensure a safe space was maintained .
“ Freya ’ s story now serves as a terrible benchmark for how some people will selfishly treat wildlife for their own benefit , as well as when they are an inconvenience to manage ,” the BDMLR statement continued . “ This is exactly why organisations such as ours continually have to broadcast public messages for people to keep their distance from wild animals to prevent disturbance . The interactions are usually negative for the animals , and in this case for a healthy , enigmatic animal – fatal .”
PHOTO : SIMON ROGERSON
Silvertip shark , Carcharhinus albimarginatus , a vulnerable species with slow reproduction rates
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