Mass slaughter of rare Mediterranean sharks sparks outcry

Conservationists and shark researchers have expressed their disgust and disappointment with Israeli authorities over the killing of at least 70 rare sharks this week off the nation’s Mediterranean coast.

Last week, Israeli press reported how a large aggregation of smooth hammerhead sharks – a species under considerable threat across the Mediterranean – had appeared off the beach at Ashkelon, near Israel’s border with Gaza. The animals had apparently been drawn to the area near a warm water outlet from a power station, sparking considerable local interest and providing unique opportunities for photographing the sharks as they cruised at the surface (see http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3073153,00.html).

Shark experts from the Plymouth-based Shark Trust, alongside colleagues working for IUCN (World Conservation Union) Shark Specialist Group, urged that the sharks be left unharmed and noted that they were of no threat to people, despite some local claims to the contrary.

Recently, the IUCN’s group of Mediterranean shark specialists made an assessment of hammerhead shark status in the region, concluding that these once-common species – first described by the ancient Greeks - had dramatically declined over the past 50 years through overfishing and coastal tourism development.

Targeted fishing for sharks is supposed to be unlawful in Israeli waters, and yet on Monday (20 April), news emerged that at least 70 hammerhead sharks – along with other species, including sandbar and spinner sharks – had been killed at the site off Ashkelon by fishermen. The carcasses were later marketed in Gaza (see http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3075319,00.html).

Ian Fergusson, a patron of the Shark Trust and shark researcher specialising on Mediterranean species, said the slaughter was “an utter disgrace.”

"This disgusting mass cull, fuelled by misinformation, greed and publicity, has managed to exterminate a sizeable number of these endangered sharks without so much as a peep from the Israeli authorities. It’s frankly shameful," he said.

"If this sort of behaviour was being directed at dolphins or turtles in the Mediterranean, there would be immediate repercussions. Yet again, in 2005 – the 30th anniversary of JAWS – sharks get a bad deal, slaughtered by people who have little care for the long-term future of the Mediterranean and its increasingly beleaguered marine life."