OXFORD (UK)- Sharks and rays are among the world’s most threatened species, mainly due to overfishing. They are sometimes targeted for their fins and meat, but more often caught as bycatch in nets aiming to catch other fish. Declines in these ocean predators can disrupt food webs, harm tourism incomeContinue Reading
LONDON (UK)- An important win for sharks! The British government today announced a ban on the import and export of shark fins. Thanks to successful campaigns by British shark conservation organizations. The new legislation will require all imported and exported shark fins to remain attached to the shark carcass and onlyContinue Reading
Oceanic sharks and rays live so far from land that the average person is unlikely to ever see them. But these species, which live in the vast open ocean, are also among the most revered, and include the great white shark and the giant manta ray. For millennia, their remotenessContinue Reading
VENICE BEACH (USA)- In the race for a vaccine to stop the spread of COVID-19, some vaccine candidates are made with squalene, a natural oil made in the liver of sharks. If everyone in the world would receive one dose, it would need 250.000 sharks. Scientists actually say that twoContinue Reading
BRUSSELS (BELGIUM)- Since february a group of citizens from across Europe united to demand the end of the shark fin trade in the European Union (EU) and increase the protection of sharks. The European Commission announced an extension of this Citizen´s Initiative called Stop Finning by 6 months. This comes in responseContinue Reading
Fishing for sharks and swimming at the same beach is not a very good combination. Especially when fishermen use chum to lure the sharks in. Warning flags could warn beachgoers and swimmers and prevent accidents. Time for a code flag for chumming? Blood attracts sharks and the more sharks inContinue Reading
BERN (SWITZERLAND)- Sharks are more caught by fishermen in cooler ocean regions than in the warm equatorial areas are where marine life is most biodiverse. Why, remains a mystery. Research, led by Marius Roesti at the University of Bern in Switzerland, shows that the general idea that that predators shouldContinue Reading