Page 64 - World of Animals - Issue #36

Conserving sharks

Curtains of death

Thousands of gillnets used to catch cod and other common
fish everyday are one of the biggest threat to sharks
Gillnets are nets which are set vertically, perpendicular Regulations do exist and have
to the ocean floor. There are a wide variety of nets been made a large part of the
with different sized mesh to trap different species of commercial fishing industry in a
fish. The holes are just large enough for fish to swim bid to reduce the amount of fish
partly through, but not large enough to fit their body needlessly killed. But where there
through and they get caught by the gills. is fishing, there is bycatch. However,
Gillnetting is an effective means of fishing for there are many artisanal and even
species that live near the ocean floor. Sadly, fish we small-scale fisheries working outside of
are used to eating and seeing in the supermarkets the regulations.
everyday such as cod, tuna, sea bass and halibut are For almost all of the world’s
all caught this way. But it is difficult to only target one endangered and vulnerable shark species,
species with this method, and many others inevitably gill nets are mentioned by the IUCN as a
get entangled. Sharks, turtles, and dolphins all fall cause for concern and a top priority due to the
victim. It is little wonder why these nets have been staggering number of sharks caught up in them
referred to as ‘curtains of death’. and pulled out of the oceans.

3 things to
know about
sharks
It is a myth that sharks don’t
get cancer. Although as a
species they suffer lower
incidences of cancer than
humans – they are still
susceptible to the disease.
There are around 440
species of shark but there
are many only known from
one-off sightings recorded
many years ago, or single
museum specimens such as
the Irrawaddy river shark.
Sharks have a tapetum
lucidum, a layer of reflective
tissue behind the retina which
helps them see in dark and in
murky water. They have this
in common with cats, which
is what makes their eyes
appear to glow in the dark.

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