Is the white shark again across the Mediterranean? | EUROtoday
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DAt the start of November, a fisherman noticed and managed to movie, within the waters of the Port-Cros nationwide park, a white shark measuring roughly 4 m. The Elasmed observatory, which research Mediterranean sharks and rays, has the id of the fish confirmed by the Natural History Museum: it’s certainly a younger white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). François Sarano, who has been diving with the nice white for 20 years, is delighted with its look, and recollects the threats hovering over the species.
The Point: Is the presence of a white shark off the coast of Porquerolles stunning?
François Sarano : I reply sure and no. No, as a result of we proceed to see them within the Mediterranean, extra on the Italian, Spanish, Tunisian, Algerian and Moroccan coasts, much less on the French aspect. The inhabitants of white sharks was very plentiful till the Fifties, earlier than industrial fishing developed they usually have been eradicated by getting caught on hooks, nets and trawls meant for tuna. I’m subsequently delighted by such an look, however with out with the ability to draw any classes. Last 12 months, an awesome white was additionally seen off the coast of Saint-Tropez. A shark does not make spring, any greater than swallows!
Can the preserved ecosystem of the reserve clarify its presence?
As the Port-Cros reserve is a jewel of the Mediterranean, as a result of for sixty years we’ve allowed nature to evolve freely, with very supervised skilled fishing, it’s regular that the shark passes there to feed. Outside of this jewel of the Mediterranean, our funds have been depopulated and ransacked. This proves {that a} protected atmosphere, with sampling carried out in session, in Port-Cros as within the Banyuls reserve within the Pyrénées-Orientales, helps the return of threatened species.
What is the standing of the white shark at this time?
It is classed as “critically endangered” on the European pink record of threatened species, and categorized as “vulnerable” on a worldwide scale, in line with the National Inventory of Natural Heritage. Protected on the American or South African coasts, it doesn’t profit from any safety measures within the Mediterranean. It’s turning into so uncommon that we scientists cannot even monitor it. Currently, there are solely an estimated few hundred people within the Mediterranean. And we see him useless extra usually than alive.
Why do we are saying that the nice white shark represents the “bulwark” species of the Mediterranean ecosystem?
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Answer
This signifies that to guard it, we should shield your entire ecosystem during which it lives. For instance, when the corpse of this massive predator, corresponding to tuna or swordfish, decomposes, it nourishes the deep seabed. In nations the place it’s protected, corresponding to on the island of Guadalupe in Mexico, we are able to observe sea lions and elephant seals. Where there are white sharks, there may be life. By extending marine reserve areas, with acceptable assets, we may discover nice whites and different species. We would not be shocked to see them, and we’d get used to diving with them. The dozens of dives I used to be capable of do with them are among the many most unbelievable experiences I’ve had in my life as a diver and oceanographer.
Reading recommendation: In the title of sharksFrançois Sarano, revealed by Actes Sud.
https://www.lepoint.fr/science/le-requin-blanc-est-il-de-retour-sur-le-pourtour-mediterraneen-19-11-2024-2575788_25.php