Scientists conducting research in the waters of Cardigan Bay, Wales were treated to a rare sight recently, as their cameras captured footage of a critically endangered angelshark (Squatina squatina), one of the world\u2019s rarest shark species.<\/p>\n
The camera that nabbed the footage of the shark wasn\u2019t placed in the bay with the specific purpose of spotting one. Instead, it\u2019s one of a series of cameras that were deployed as part of the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales\u2019 (WTSWW) Dolphin Diet Detectives project, which aims to find out more about the diet of the dolphins in Cardigan Bay, as well as the area\u2019s marine diversity in general.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were thrilled to record an Angelshark in Cardigan Bay, a rare and exciting encounter. Before this project started, Angelsharks hadn\u2019t been captured on film in Cardigan Bay since 2021,\u201d said Dr Sarah Perry, Marine Conservation and Research Manager at the WTSWW, in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you dig a little deeper, it comes as little surprise that it\u2019s been so long since an angelshark was last spotted here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Historically, the range of angelsharks was pretty impressive, extending along parts of the coast of multiple European countries, as well as some in North Africa. Spotting one along the Welsh coast \u2013 or any part of the UK coast for that matter \u2013 wasn\u2019t anything to write home about (unless you\u2019re a big shark fan like us, of course).<\/p>\n At least, that was the case in the 20th century. According to the IUCN<\/a>, while the exact number of angelsharks throughout their range is unknown, there have been multiple reports of steep population declines and fragmentation. The organization currently lists the species as \u201cCritically Endangered\u201d \u2013 that\u2019s one level down from going extinct in the wild \u2013 with a decreasing population, and estimates that the angelshark population size has reduced by at least 80 percent over the roughly the last 45 years.<\/p>\n Alongside the degradation of their habitat, one of the biggest factors contributing to this decline is thought to be bottom trawling. Angelsharks live and feed along the seafloor \u2013 and that makes them particularly vulnerable. Combine that with a slow reproduction rate, and you\u2019ve got a recipe for extinction.<\/p>\n But this isn\u2019t a vulnerability unique to angelsharks, as Sir David Attenborough\u2019s latest film OCEAN recently revealed when it brought to our screens world-first footage<\/a> demonstrating the devastating impact of bottom trawling.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In the footage, everything from rays to cephalopods can be seen fleeing from the metal and rope of a bottom trawler, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.<\/p>\n