An angelshark was caught swimming past an underwater camera
Underwater cameras have captured the incredible moment one of the world’s rarest shark species swam through a Welsh bay. The angelshark was caught by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ (WTSWW) underwater cameras in Cardigan Bay.
Angelsharks are flat-bodied sharks which can grow up to 2.4m in length and are normally found submerged in sandy habitats in coastal waters. They are well camouflaged to ambush flatfishes, crustaceans and molluscs. Angelsharks are critically endangered, having suffered significant decline as a result of fishing and habitat degradation.
Living on the seabed makes the sharks vulnerable to being caught in trawl nets, which along with their slow reproduction rate, puts them at a high risk of extinction.
To mark National Marine Week, July 26 to August 10, the Wildlife Trusts are uncovering our seabeds, which are vital habitats full of incredible wildlife, but are threatened with destruction by industrial scale fishing in many areas.
The Angelshark was captured on WTSWW’s Baited Underwater Remote Video Systems (BRUVS) which had been deployed by a research team investigating dolphin diets and marine diversity in Cardigan Bay.
The angelshark was captured on underwater cameras in Cardigan Bay(Image: Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre)
The cameras were deployed in a range of habitats and left to record for just one hour at each location.
They have captured a huge range of wildlife both inside and outside of marine protected areas, including spider crabs, wrasse, and most recently, the angelshark. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here
The WTSWW say that even 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.
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.
“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 UK Government is currently running a consultation on the practice of bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas, which you can see here.