An endangered shark was rescued today from a fishing net thanks to the vigilance of fishing rods on the beach in the Ashdod area
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diT_RBhGxRcTwo sharks were caught in a fishing net near the shore of Ashdod, one of which managed to free itself and the other was rescued thanks to the vigilance of a fishing rod.
Guy Levian supervises a marine unit at the Nature and Parks Authority: “This morning I received a report from fishing rods (on the beach) about a fishing boat that deployed a net close to the shore north of the hot water estuary in Ashdod in the area where sharks gather this season. The fishing rods tried to warn the fishermen in the boat not to deploy a net in the area because they noticed sharks nearby but the net was deployed anyway as there is no fishing limit in this area. After a few minutes, fishing rods noticed that two sharks had been caught in the net and they tried to break free and went on a rampage. After a short time one shark managed to break free. I reached the shore and tried to locate the other shark with the help of a skimmer but I could not because the water was very cloudy. After about two hours the fishing boat returned and with the help of the Coast Guard Association they were directed to a point in the net where the shark was caught. The fishermen began to pick up the net and did see that a fin shark that was still alive had been caught in it. The fishermen put him in a boat and released him back to the sea so that he could recover. ‘
The fin shark is an active swimmer near a muddy and sandy bottom at a depth of 20-65 m and sometimes even up to a depth of 230 m. It is located in both coastal and pelagic areas (in the open sea). It is up to 2.5 m long. Females usually live to the age of 21 and males to the age of 15, but sharks that have reached the age of 34 are also known. This species is characterized by a tall, large and upright dorsal fin. Sometimes the fins have slightly dark edges.
The fin shark feeds on gram fish, small sharks, accents, prawns, shrimps and marine snails. The young feed mainly on cancers. Although it is more active at night, this species feeds both during the day and at night.
Pregnancy lasts 8-12 months and females reproduce every two to three years. At the end of pregnancy the females spawn 5-18 live offspring 50-75 cm long. They will reach sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years, when their length will be 150 cm. Usually their fin sharks live in flocks of separate pairs. There are spawning grounds in the Gulf of Gabes in Tunisia and the Gulf of Gakuba in Turkey.
In some distribution areas of the fin shark it makes long-term seasonal migrations. The skin of adult and adolescent females is thicker, and it is possible that such thick skin contributes to protection against courtship bites of males as well as from oblique damage. These sharks migrate due to their fins, flesh and skin. They are perceived as a by-product of standing nets and fishing rods (Sharak).
In the Mediterranean, estimates indicate that between 2005-2015 there was a 90% decrease in population size and by 2066 the populations may decrease by 99.99%. In the 1980s it was the most rare species in the eastern Mediterranean among sharks
Sharks are protected natural values. If they are caught in a net or on a fishing rod, they must be released back to the sea immediately.