Rare sighting of critically endangered shark

The rare sighting shows an Angelshark, one the world’s rarest shark species.

The research team at The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales explained how their Baited Underwater Remote Video Systems (BRUVS) were deployed as part of the Dolphin Diet Detectives project, which seeks to investigate dolphin diets and marine diversity in Cardigan Bay.

Dr. Sarah Perry, Marine Conservation and Research Manager at WTSWW, said: “We were thrilled to record an Angelshark in Cardigan Bay, a rare and exciting encounter.

"Before this project started, Angelsharks hadn’t been captured on film in Cardigan Bay since 2021.

"This sighting comes at a crucial time, as the Senedd and UK Government discuss a ban on bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas.

The BRUVS were deployed in a range of habitats and left to record for just one hour at each location.

The cameras have captured a huge range of wildlife both inside and outside of the protected areas, including Spider Crabs, Wrasse, and most recently an Angelshark.

Angelsharks are critically endangered, suffering significant declines as a result of fishing and habitat degradation.

They live on the seabed where they are well camouflaged to ambush flatfishes, crustaceans and molluscs. But their bottom dwelling lifestyle makes them vulnerable to being caught in trawl nets, and along with their slow reproduction rate this puts them at a high risk of extinction.

Dr. Perry said the discoveries made on the cameras highlight how precious these underwater ecosystems are - and why they need vital protection.

She added: "Our Dolphin Diet Detectives project, funded by the Welsh Government through the Nature Networks Fund, uses underwater cameras to reveal the incredible diversity of life on the seabed.

"These findings highlight the urgent need to protect these fragile habitats from damaging activities like bottom trawling.”

The Wildlife Trusts are encouraging people to stand up for underwater seabeds this summer.

Marine Protected Areas, of which there are 139 in Wales, are not yet fully protected from destructive fishing activities such as bottom trawling - where huge nets and chains are dragged along the ocean floor, bulldozing anything in their way.

The UK Government is currently running a consultation on the practice of bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas.