The Shingles Bank in the Needles Channel is a well-known navigational hazard for ships entering the Solent from the west . It is thought that both NW96 and NW68 became stranded on the banks before sinking . Archaeological remains of these vessels include several cannons , a large anchor , at least 50 very large lead ingots with unidentified markings and stone cannonballs . The ingots are a fixed size and weight – they would have been used as currency for trade – so they could be made into a variety of products .
The finds are being investigated by archaeologists from the Maritime Archaeology Trust and Wessex Archaeology , along with the finders , BSAC Divers Martin Pritchard and Dave Fox . SCUBA will report in their ongoing project in a forthcoming issue .
With the addition of these three sites , there are now 57 Protected Wreck Sites in English waters . Their status means that divers need a special license administered by Historic England on behalf of the Department for Digital , Culture , Media and Sport to dive the wrecks . Their artefacts are protected and their condition is carefully monitored .
an increase in sightings in the last decade , according to the research team , led by shark expert Alison Towner . This change could be related to a decline in prey populations , including pelagic fishes and sharks causing changes in distribution patterns of killer whales .
Towner and her colleagues considered alternative explanations for the recent drop of great whites at Gansbaai , including human fishing pressures and sea surface temperatures , but the comprehensive evidence they gathered strongly implicates Port and Starboard in the flight of sharks from the area . Towner concludes that the orcas could be members of a rare sharkeating morphotype [ not a different species , but a different type ], known to hunt at least three shark species as a prime source of nutrition in South Africa .
PHOTO : SIMON ROGERSON
Diving with the Angels Angel sharks are hard to find , but spot their beds to help the science , says Shark Trust MD Paul Cox
There ’ s a bit of a buzz about angel sharks these days . Overshadowed by their charismatic , pelagic cousins for many years , the 23 species of angels distributed around the world ’ s oceans are gaining an increasing amount of attention . And rightly so . Not only are they stunning animals and a great dive encounter , they ’ re also one of the most threatened groups of sharks .
Like so many other sharks and rays , their future has been placed in doubt by the impact of fisheries . Unselective bottom trawlers scrape up whatever happens to be on or near the seabed , and that , all too often , has included the bottom-dwelling flatsharks . This historic fishing pressure and habitat degradation had taken its toll on populations , and now four species are classed as endangered , with eight critically endangered .
But all is not lost . There ’ s a flurry of activity across the research and conservation community to gain a better understanding and secure a more positive future for angels . The Angel Shark Conservation Network ( ASCN ) is a collective , international effort with many coordinated strands of work . In the Mediterranean , for example , the Shark Trust and partners are engaged in a long-term conservation programme working with governments , fishers , divers and NGOs to prevent the further decline of three critically endangered
species . And in Wales , Project SIARC is embracing citizen scientists to help chart the seeming return of a local population of angel sharks off the Welsh coast .
Researchers can provide vital insights and data to support the conservation and advocacy work . But they can ’ t be everywhere ; this is a highly cryptic ( and relatively rare ) group of animals , so data gathering is a challenge . This means contributions from divers can be a vital link in the chain . Keeping your eyes peeled on dives and logging any sightings is a huge help . And it doesn ’ t end there . Even if you don ’ t spot the sharks themselves , you can still help by looking out for valuable clues of their whereabouts .
The search is on for Critical Angel Shark Areas ( CASAs ) – home bases where scientists can concentrate their efforts . And luckily for us , like teenagers , angel sharks leave clues in their unmade beds – small characteristic depressions in the sandy substrate . Spot the bed and we ’ re one step closer .
So now divers from Cardigan Bay to the Canaries ( and around the Mediterranean ) can join the search and provide those valuable clues that could help us secure a future for these extraordinary sharks . Find out more about the work of the ASCN and Project SIARC and submit your sightings of angel sharks ( and their beds ) via angelsharknetwork . com . www . sharktrust . org
47