1 in 5 blue sharks at Cap de Creus found with hooks lodged in mouths

A study carried out by Sotamar in Cadaqués and the Department of Territory and Agriculture shows that 1 In 5 blue sharks observed in Cap de Creus, in northern Catalonia, had hooks lodged in their mouth. 

Surface longline fishing, which uses these types of hooks, is very rare in Catalonia, suggesting that these blue sharks were injured in other parts of the Mediterranean Sea before reaching Cap de Creus. 

This species is in "critical" danger of extinction and the Catalan government is concerned that this situation will further compromise their survival. 

The study was launched by the head of Sotamar diving center, Jordi Riera, who began to monitor blue sharks in Cap de Creus in 2022. The Department of Climate Action joined the project in 2023 and co-financed it. 

The investigations revealed that the coast in Cap de Creus is a "stable" breeding point for blue sharks. Scientists have observed more than 200 specimens in the area.  

Those sharks circulate throughout the western Mediterranean Sea for hundreds of kilometers and gather in Cap de Creus between late spring and summer in deep waters to reproduce.  

Approximately 20% of the sharks they studied in a sample were found to have one or multiple hooks and skin lesions. A lot of them also had nylon threads attached.  

The head of protected marine predators at the Department of Territory, Jordi Ruiz, says that "in some cases, the injuries compromise their survival". 

Sharks are being fished accidentally before reaching the Catalan coast. To Ruiz, fishermen intend to "avoid damage" as much as possible but "of course, no one will put their hand in a shark's mouth."  

Solutions with different hooks or signals and electromagnetic fields are being studied to avoid shark captures in the future.