The gulper shark, a type of shark, may be endangered

The Mar Balear Report includes a study by elasmobranch experts (sharks and rays) Biel Morey, Olga Reñones, and Francesc Verger based on data collected at the Palma fish market on shark and ray catches between 2009 and 2021.

Currently, there are 59 species of sharks and rays recorded in the waters of the Balearic Islands, of which 30 are threatened and 6 are already considered locally extinct. With the new data on the gulper shark collected in the study, the number of threatened elasmobranch species would increase to 31.

The monitoring of shark and ray data unloaded at the Palma fish market shows a very vulnerable conservation status for 3 shark species: the smooth-hound (Mustelus mustelus), the nursehound (Scyliorhinus stellaris), and the gulper shark (Centrophorus uyato). While the smooth-hound and nursehound are already classified as endangered species in the Balearics, the gulper shark has not yet been considered threatened.

Gulper shark catches have been reduced by 77% in 12 years. In the absence of other population data, this trend suggests that this species is endangered in Mallorca. Urgent measures are needed to assess its population in Balearic waters to ensure its conservation.

The smooth-hound has also been revealed as a species in a very vulnerable state, as most of the specimens caught are immature, and therefore, they are fished before they can reproduce to perpetuate the species.

The third studied shark that is also threatened is the nursehound, which has decreased by 37% in 8 years.

The decline of these three species indicates that urgent measures are needed to study their populations and exploitation status to be able to define appropriate management plans for their recovery. In the case of the gulper shark, it is recommended to change its status in the Red Book of Balearic Fish and consider it endangered.

The Mar Balear Report is a collaborative project involving all marine research institutions in the Islands and public and private entities. It collects the best available information about the Balearic Sea to improve management efforts and detect gaps in marine research knowledge. Initiated in 2020, the project has been digitalized since the second edition; in this fourth edition (2024), the report's indicators will be updated on the website www.informemarbalear.org throughout the year. Currently, 39 indicators have been updated and 2 new ones have been included from the chapters: Global Change, Marine Protected Areas (MPA), Emblematic Species, Benefits, and Fishing.