I grew up on the south coast of England, close enough to Chesil Beach to make it a good day trip destination. Famous for fossils, I loved searching for the stony remains of curious creatures I (mostly) couldn’t name.
I think the most exciting find I ever made was a fossilised shark’s tooth. They are actually quite common, but I only ever found one (I still have it). Sharks have been gliding the oceans for over 400 million years – long before dinosaurs arrived. It amazes me that any species can still be with us after so long.
But it’s well known that these consummate survivors are in trouble, their numbers have crashed due to years of over fishing. Millions are slaughtered annually. A third of the shark species around our coasts are threatened with extinction. A third.
In a week where the angel shark has been identified as one of the 100 species most likely to disappear forever, the BBC have reported that Scottish anglers are giving UK sharks a bit of hope. They are monitoring six species of sharks in an attempt to find out more about them, and give them a chance of survival.
Good on you guys!
Basking shark by Ben Slater (iStockphoto.com)