| | Week 4 of our Friday Ocean Findings newsletters focuses on the latest status assessments of 2 enigmatic elasmobranchs living in the North-East Atlantic, both of which are on OSPAR's list of threatened and/or declining species.
The basking shark is the second largest fish in the world, growing up to 12 metres in length, and can be found cruising our coasts in search of plankton. Fins and livers of basking sharks were historically in demand and were highly valued on the market although all fishing for this species is now banned in the OSPAR Maritime Area.
Angel sharks are elusive and some of the most endangered fish in OSPAR waters. They are particularly susceptible to the combined impacts of fishing and habitat degradation, due to their coastal location and biology (large, flat-bodied animals with low fecundity). Both species are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
Our experts have produced these status assessments to contribute to our next holistic assessment of the health of the North-East Atlantic - The Quality Status Report (QSR) 2023. The QSR will examine the current state of the marine environment and ecosystems, and the human activities benefiting from the marine environment and interacting with it.
We hope you enjoy these reports. Please do contact us with any comments at [email protected] |
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