The number of sharks at coral reefs has decreased significantly worldwide. Canadian researchers write in the scientific journal Nature that reef sharks are “functionally extinct” in many places.
The researchers placed more than 15,000 bait underwater video stations on 371 coral reefs in 58 countries. No sharks were found in about one in five reefs surveyed, and they were not seen in the images of more than 60 percent of the video stations.
Overfishing
Shark populations are particularly poor in countries such as Colombia, Qatar, Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic. According to the researchers, this is mainly due to overfishing. It is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins and meat.
Sharks are doing well in a number of places around the world. Many sharks have been sighted off the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, the largest coral reef in the world. This is because there is an active campaign there to protect the animals.
Sharks play an important role in the ocean ecosystem. They are also very important for the economy of tourist areas, for example because of diving holidays.
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