These demands were accepted International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)As stated in a statement by the UA, the first systematic mapping in history of areas important for sharks and rays in the Mediterranean has been carried out.
The academic institution emphasized that after months of research work, information gathering and review by a panel of external experts, the researchers managed to demonstrate the suitability of these areas for the survival of this group of species in the Mediterranean. Among more than 110 offers ISRA initials, 65 people accepted from across the Mediterranean.
From land to a depth of 80 meters
ISRA Those approved include the Murcian coastline from San Pedro del Pinatar to Calblanque and the deep sector between south of Alicante and Seco de Palos.
The proposal for the shallowest area between San Pedro del Pinatar and Calblanque was accepted. Led by UMU Marine Ecology and Conservation Group researcher María Pozo-Montoro and is responsible for coordinating both proposals.
The coastal coastline extends to a depth of 80 meters from land and includes the fishing marine reserve of Cabo de Palos-Islas Hormigas, Citizen cooperation among divers, fishermen and swimmers in the area.
In this sense, his photographs have been “fundamental in demonstrating the importance of the area” as a breeding and breeding ground. collection striped It has disappeared from other parts of the Mediterranean and is in critical danger of extinctionHow are they guitar fish, tableclothHE sea eagle And parsnip.
He became the pioneer of the second proposal Professor Francisca Giménez Casalduero, professor of Zoology and director of CIMAR of the University of Alicante (Santa Pola Marine Research Center).
This area goes From 300 meters to 800 meters deep includes mountains and unique underwater formations such as Seco de Palos or El Planazo and an area of stain –seafloor depressions resulting from gas emissions and fluid leaks caused by volcanic activity in the region–.
This area is “particularly relevant” as a field deep sea shark farmingaspect hairy angler shark (The ventral part of the body has numerous small photophores that produce intense light in living specimens and their surroundings) and starry ribbon, endemic species of the Mediterranean.
Main purpose ISRA It is to put on the international map the key areas needed for the survival of these species, which are “at risk of extinction in the Mediterranean unless urgent action is taken.”
Risk of extinction due to overfishing
However, since these are not a management figure, they do not carry any regulations for the protection of the relevant species. The researchers underlined that this is “the first step to ensure that this area continues to be an oasis for sharks and rays in the Mediterranean.”
“This information is more relevant than ever as countries around the world, including Spain, approach 2030. They committed to protecting at least 30 percent of their seas” they explained.
More than 50% of shark and ray species in the Mediterranean face a “high risk of extinction due to overfishing,” according to figures provided by the African Union. The consequences of the disappearance of sharks and rays from the oceans present “an unpredictable scenario with possible impacts on human activities due to the important role they play in the ecosystem.”
In this sense, he pointed out that sharks and rays have a “deterministic” effect as predators at the top of food webs, as well as maintaining the structural diversity of marine ecosystems. The areas studied have proven to be a “diversity hotspot” for these animals. It is the refuge of some of the last individuals of this species in the Mediterranean.
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