With the changing climate comes shifting ocean currents, bringing unexpected species to shore, a leading marine biologist tells Yahoo News.
Following the recent discovery of a rare deep-sea shark that washed ashore along Australia’s east coast, a marine biologist has revealed the sad reason why these elusive creatures are hardly ever seen.
This week, a ‘magnificent’ thresher shark was spotted along the shoreline of Seven Mile Beach, in the Shoalhaven region of the NSW South Coast. Though already deceased and missing some teeth when it was found, photos show the huge fish’s incredible length — about three metres according to witnesses.
“Seems like it just washed in with the tide. Some heavy bites to the snout but the worst damage seemed underneath as it was bleeding heavily,” a NSW man wrote online of the discovery.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Lawrence Chlebeck, Marine Biologist and Campaigner at the Humane Society International (HSI), said the animal was most likely a common thresher, but could also be a pelagic thresher.
“All three species are globally listed as vulnerable due to catch in commercial fisheries,” Chlebeck told Yahoo. “Much of this is bycatch in longline fisheries, or to supply the shark fin trade. Threshers are also popular target species in sport fishing.”
All three species of thresher sharks are globally listed as vulnerable due to them being bycatch in commercial fisheries. Source: Facebook/Trapman AustraliaMarine biologist’s sad revelation
Chlebeck said tragically, the impressive sharks are “pretty rare these days”. “And definitely not likely to be found washed ashore,” he said.
“They are generally a pelagic (open-ocean) species, but it’s always possible for them to cruise nearer to the shore. Of course with the changing climate, ocean currents are changing as well, often bringing unexpected species into new areas.”
These animals are hardly ever seen in shallow waters, let alone washed up on beaches. Facebook/Trapman Australia
Because of this, we can “expect to see more and more instance of rarely seen creatures” closer to shore in the coming future, Chlebeck added.
Online, Aussies reacted with both excitement and disappointment over the discovery. “Sad end for a magnificent animal, definitely one of my favourite sharks,” a man said. “Thats a cool looking tail,” said another. “Impressive,” another said.
