Blue shark sightings they put on alert to some bathers during last summer. However, all the experts made it clear that there was no danger. On the contrary, seeing one of these sharks on the Catalan coast is rather a luxurybecause these animals are in serious danger in the Mediterranean, where they are experiencing a worrying regression.
Till the date, some entities had hinted at the possibility that the underwater cannon of the Cap de Creus was a breeding area for this species, because juvenile specimens had been sighted. But it was just an intuition. Now, after exhaustive work carried out by the Depaertament d’Acció Climàtica in collaboration with the immersion center Sotamarcommanded by Jordi Rierait has been determined that this area is one of the underwater places where this species breeds.
“These sharks are seriously threatened and for us it is important to study well the state of marine species and ecosystems, which is why we have supported the Sotamar center’s monitoring program,” he explains. Jordi Ruizresponsible for conservation projects at the department.
35 centimeters of shark
Between late spring and mid-August 2023, 10 offspring were detected of this species on different days. These are small sharks of about 35-40 centimeters, which swim freely in the sea and after being born from their mothers’ wombs they can take care of themselves. These data confirm that the Cap de Creus canyon is one of the breeding points, although many of the sharks, once they are adults, They leave these waters and disappear starting in Julyaccording to what is known so far.
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On the Catalan coasts there are 26 species of shark, and many of them, such as the blue shark, are in danger of extinction or directly in critical condition. The problem is that most of what is known about these animals comes from fishermen, because these species live on the high seas, in deep waternormally, and they rarely approach the surface, which causes a lack of information about their behavior and habitat.
To remedy the situation, Acció Climàtica will develop and expand this monitoring project to improve current knowledge, with 50,000 euros investment. Surveillance will be carried out from small boats using attractants and their movements will be studied. For this reason, we are already collaborating with the few entities that work with sharks in Catalonia: the Institut de Ciències del Mar, the University of Barcelona, the University of Girona, CatShark and the Fundació Barcelona Zoo.