Endangered shark washes ashore in Mediterranean province

MERSIN

A 4.10 meter long shark that washed ashore dead in Türkiye’s central Mediterranean province of Mersin yesterday evening has been identified as an endangered species.

The Metropolitan Municipality Environmental Protection and Control Department teams brought the shark ashore.

"Upon the notification that a dead shark hit the rocks on the western breakwater of the fishermen's shelter, we immediately directed our teams to the scene. We took the dead shark from where it was found and brought it ashore. We also notified the relevant units for investigation," Emre Üresin, a marine inspector in the Maritime Services Branch Directorate of Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Environmental Protection and Control Department, stated.

Identifying the breed of the shark, Professor Deniz Ayas from Mersin University Faculty of Fisheries said, "The type of shark that washed up dead on the outer facade of the rocks in Mersin is an endangered species we call 'hexanchusgriseus.'"

"It is female, about 410 centimeters long. We estimate that it weighs 600-700 kilograms. The combination of many factors such as fishing activity and habitat loss, especially fishing activity, has led to the shrinkage of the generation, population or genetic pool of this species. The fact that an adult was caught today actually gives us an idea about why the population is shrinking," he added.

Although it is a protected species and its sale is prohibited, the hexanchusgriseus is under fishing pressure from the Black Sea to the entire Eastern Mediterranean.

The species has an important functional role in the ecosystem, especially in the deep sea. It regulates the energy flow and controls the population of species in the deep sea ecosystem.

Ayas said that fishing vessels working in the sea mostly catch non-target fish and added, "One of the main reasons why their population has shrunk by 90 percent is fishing activities. It is a fish that looks fresh but died at least a day or seven to eight hours ago. We evaluate that it died during a trawling activity last night."

The shark was taken to the animal cemetery by the municipality teams and buried.