The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has issued a reminder to the public about a ban on catching angelsharks, after a sighting of the endangered species in Galway Bay.
“Angelsharks (Squatina squatina) are among Ireland’s rarest native (as opposed to migrant) fish,”the SFPA said in a statement.
“They are critically endangered worldwide. They have been reduced to a couple of areas in Irish waters – Tralee Bay being the most notable. Only between one and a few are seen in Irish waters in any year,”it said.
Film footage of an angelshark was recorded by two kayaking instructors Ronan Breathnach and Colm O’Loan off Rinville in south Galway Bay last weekend.
The Angelshark (squatina squatina)
The Marine Institute, which confirmed the sighting, described it as “ a great day out for the group of 12 budding marine scientists of the future”
The SFPA says it wishes to remind the public that angelsharks are a “prohibited species” for all EU and third-country vessels.
“Any commercial fisher who encounters them must release them safely back into the sea as soon as possible, and they are strongly encouraged to record them as bycatch in their logsheet,”it said.
“Some commercial vessels have tagged them over the past decade. These details help with the assessment of the angelshark populations,” the SFPA added.
Fishermen, coastal farmers, walkers and “passionate individuals” are being asked to report new sightings or past records of the angelshark as part of a national research project which marine scientist Louise Overy recently spoke to Wavelengths about.
The aim is to develop an action plan which supports their recovery for future generations – a “community-led recovery”, Overy said in her interview here
