News

South Africa’s Expert Panel released the findings of their review of its’ National Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks this week. Indicating that some progress has been made. But with concerns raised over slow progress in many key areas. South Africa is home to a diverse range of sharks, rays and chimera, important to both their tourism and fishing sector. The Panel’s review sets out more clarity on actions, prioritisation and measurable indicators.

(You may need Google Translate for this one!) Shark and skate eggcases brought up incidentally with fishing gear are being ‘rescued’ by a team in Mallorca. This week, the first six skates were released to the sea from their incubated eggcases. The Cayume Association launched the 'Eggcase 2020' project with the hope of assisting skates that are seriously affected by fishing.

As the world watched, Joe Biden won the race in the US election this week. President Elect Biden vows to restore environmental protections that were removed by the current administration. Conservationists, scientists and NGOs are asking, what can Biden do? And we ask, what could this mean for sharks?

In Taiwan, ban on fishing for White Sharks, Megamouth Sharks and Basking Sharks came into force this week. Previously, fishers were permitted to land these ‘giant’ sharks as bycatch. But now, as for other prohibited species, fishers must report any incidental bycatch and return them to the sea. This is good progress for the fishery and towards conservation efforts. Especially for Megamouth Sharks, where media reports have exposed multiple landings this summer.

Shocking images from Tunisia over the weekend showing a 6m White Shark for sale. While prohibited under Mediterranean laws, national legislation is often lacking. And, as Tunisia ranks 2nd for shark and ray landings in the Mediterranean, national laws couldn’t come too soon. As GFCM (General Fisheries Commission Mediterranean) observers, we’ve previously appealed to the Tunisian government over landings of devil rays, guitarfishes and angel sharks, among others.

This week, tag transmissions from the White Shark named, Katherine, were recorded for the first time in around 18 months! Scientists confirmed that her tag ‘pinged’ a location transmission from around 200 miles off the coast of Virginia. The tag, attached to the dorsal fin, should ping each time the dorsal fin breaches the surface. White Sharks can go for a long time without surfacing. But this highlights how much there still is to discover about their movements and behaviour.

Three times as many juvenile White Sharks have been tagged compared to previous years off the coast of California. Researchers suggest these high numbers are a result of healthier ecosystems and warm waters. Providing more food for the sharks and delaying their winter migration to Mexico. So it seems these sharks are on a ‘staycation’ too.

Great video footage!! A diver has a rare and exciting encounter with a Whale Shark and Manta Ray off the coast of Florida. The Whale Shark is also joined by lots of hitchhiking remoras! Click here to check it out…

Maio Island has been officially designated as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, putting Cape Verde on the conservation map. Whilst Maio supports key populations of Lemon and Nurse Sharks, the wider islands support more than 60 different shark and ray species. Many of which are under increasing pressure from human impacts. As part of the UNESCO network, the island will now have more profile and opportunity for collaborative work towards the conservation of its biodiversity.

A Porbeagle Shark had a plastic strap cutting into its neck for at least 6 months! Captured by researchers off New England, the 6-year old female had the plastic removed, was tagged and released back to the wild. This is second incident to occur in this area in just 16 months. Yet another example of plastic impacting our marine life. If you spot a shark, skate or ray entangled in plastic, you can report this through our collaborative Plastics Entanglement Network.