When video footage showing what appeared to be a shark feeding on a fish carcass off the coast of Sliema emerged on social media last month, Times of Malta attempted to contact several experts to confirm that the creature in question was in fact, a shark.
The first person to answer the call was Daniel De Castro, curator at the National Aquarium in Qawra.
“Send me the video and I’ll get back to you,” he said. Five minutes later, De Castro called back, with noticeable excitement in his voice.
“I cannot be 100 per cent certain because the video quality is not the best, but I’m confident this is a Great White shark,” he said, before explaining the reasoning behind his assessment, including the shape and colour of the snout and the way it emerged from the water to chomp on its meal.
Nursehound shark pups waiting to be release in a few months’ timeIn the days that followed, various other experts in the field of marine biology weighed in. The consensus was that the shark was probably not a great white, but most likely a blue or mako shark.
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But when a video with higher resolution showing the same shark was put online, the other experts came round, while De Castro himself became even more certain of his initial appraisal.
Great White sightings in the Mediterranean, let alone close to Maltese shores, are rare. However, two more common species of shark are the small-spotted cat shark and the nursehound shark – mazzola and gattarell in Maltese, respectively.
Unfortunately, both of these species are often caught unintentionally (and sometimes intentionally) in the nets of local fishermen. But thanks to De Castro and the team at the National Aquarium, as well as NGO Sharklab-Malta, the offspring of these sharks get a second chance at life thanks to a breed-and-release initiative that is now in its 11th year.
“Sharklab bring us the eggs they’ve recovered from dead female sharks at the fish market. We then incubate the ones that have been fertilised. The eggs take around four months to hatch.”
Shark eggs, often known as mermaids’ purses, containing shark embryosOnce a shark hatches, it feeds off the yolk sac for about a week. After that, it starts feeding on its own.
“We begin by giving them tiny shrimp, and eventually small pieces of mussels and clams. As they start feeding, their development accelerates, and they grow steadily over four to eight months.”
The release of the sharks involves a collaboration between several groups.
“We release them into the wild at around a depth of 20 metres. Once on the sea floor, divers form a semicircle around the release site, before freeing the sharks from perforated boxes.”
Since 2014, the initiative has resulted in the release of 371 sharks that otherwise would not have survived.
No danger to humans
De Castro stresses that the sharks pose no danger to humans.
“These are small species that grow to about 70cm to 1.1 metres and live at depths between 50 and 200 metres. The chance of encountering them in the wild is very low.”
But should people be worried about the Great White?
“No, in the Mediterranean, shark attacks are exceedingly rare. Most shark attacks around the world happen in murky waters where their feeding grounds are. They mistake swimmers for their prey. But in Malta we’re blessed with very clear waters most of the year.”
De Castro places the blame for the disproportionate amount of fear related to sharks squarely on the 1975 film Jaws.
“It led to millions of sharks being hunted. Only 10 out of around 400 species of sharks have been known to harm humans – with Great White, Tiger and Bull sharks being responsible for most attacks – but all sharks paid the price. Luckily people now recognise their ecological importance.”
Director Stephen Spielberg has since expressed regret for the decimation of global shark populations that the film caused.
“Seeing a Great White is lucky. It confirms these amazing animals are still out there. But there’s no cause for alarm,” says De Castro.