Mediterranean Angel Sharks: Regional Action Plan COLLABORATORS FUNDERS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by the Shark Conservation Fund and the Disney Conservation Fund. Preliminary scoping work was supported by Fondation Ensemble. The expert workshop which initiated the development of this Mediterranean Angel Sharks: Regional Action Plan was generously hosted by the National Institute of Sciences and Technologies of the Sea (INSTM). We’d especially like to thank Professor Mohamed Nejmeddine Bradai, Hechmi Missaoui, Samira Enajjar, and Bechir Saidi for their assistance. We are extremely grateful to the participants who contributed to the workshop, as well as those Citation: Gordon, C.A., Hood, A.R., Al Mabruk, S. A. A., Barker, individuals who completed the online questionnaire J., Bartolí, A., Ben Abdelhamid, S., Bradai, M.N., Dulvy, N.K., and provided additional knowledge of angel sharks Fortibuoni, T., Giovos, I., Jimenez Alvarado, D., Meyers, E.K.M., in the Mediterranean. Thanks are also extended Morey, G., Niedermuller, S., Pauly, A., Serena, F. and Vacchi, M. 2019. Mediterranean Angel Sharks: Regional Action Plan. The to to Riley Pollom (IUCN SSG) for creation of the Shark Trust, United Kingdom. 36 pp. distribution maps, those who have provided photographs for use in this document and to those Written and compiled by: Cat Gordon and Ali Hood who have helped review the content. In particular, with guidance from Martin Clark thank you to Martin Clark for facilitating the workshop Contact: [email protected] and assisting with the delivery of this document. 2 ANGEL SHARK CONSERVATION NETWORK (ASCN) The ASCN represents a community working to better protect angel sharks. The Network was established by the Angel Shark Project, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group, Shark Trust, and Submon to facilitate dialogue and information sharing on angel shark conservation efforts, in particular across the range ofSquatina aculeata, S. oculata, and S. squatina. It has since expanded to include additional collaborators. The success of the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Angel Shark Conservation Strategy and associated Action Plans (such as this) requires cooperation between different stakeholders, working together towards a common vision. All interested parties are invited to join the network to receive updates and help to deliver the objectives laid out in the Strategy and associated Action Plans – visit www.angelsharknetwork.com. MEDITERRANEAN WORKSHOP An expert workshop was hosted by the Shark Trust at the National Institute of Sciences and Technologies of the Sea (INSTM) in Salammbô, Tunisia from the 25th – 27th March 2019 to initiate the development of this Mediterranean Angel Sharks: Regional Action Plan. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS Ahmed Afli(INSTM) , Sara Al Mabruk (Marine Biology in Libya), Joanna Barker (Zoological Society of London/Angel Shark Project), Àlex Bartolí (Submon), Sofien Ben Abdelhamid(INAT/Nature Link), Ibrahim Ben Amer (SPA/RAC), Lobna Ben Nakhla (SPA/RAC), Mohamed Nejmeddine Bradai (INSTM), Martin Clark (The Advocacy Hub), Zoe Crysler (IUCN Shark Specialist Group), Nick Dulvy (IUCN Shark Specialist Group), Samira Enajjar (INSTM), Tomaso Fortibuoni (ISPRA), Ioannis Giovos (iSea), Cat Gordon (Shark Trust), Ali Hood (Shark Trust), Eva Meyers (Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig/Angel Shark Project), Hechmi Missaoui (INSTM), Gabriel Morey (Save the Med Foundation), Simone Niedermuller (WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative), Andrea Pauly (CMS), Sandrine Polti (Independent consultant), Bechir Saidi (INSTM), Fabrizio Serena (IUCN Mediterranean/National Research Council), Marino Vacchi (CMS Scientific Council/ National Research Council), Anis Zarrouk (SPA/RAC). 3 Forewords Nick Dulvy Fabrizio Serena and Alen Soldo Co-Chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Co-Regional Vice Chairs of the Group IUCN Shark Specialist Group for the Mediterranean Below the silvery surface of the ocean lies another The Mediterranean is a small semi-enclosed sea world. One of the greatest challenges is to look with peculiar physical characteristics but, regarding under this thin veneer to see what lies beneath. chondrichthyans, contributes as much as 7% to Through our work we now know that nearly one- global biodiversity. Some species are vagrant while quarter of the world’s 1,200 or so sharks and rays are many others are resident. Several of the latter live on threatened with extinction. The IUCN Shark Specialist the continental shelf, an area where fishing effort is Group has worked hard for nearly a decade to extremely high and cartilaginous fish suffer the most translate our new global understanding to prioritize impact. In fact, due to their morphological features, those species groups at greatest risk of extinction. chondrichthyans are captured throughout their life cycles – from juveniles through to adults. For this Few people are aware that the most endangered reason, they require very different management species are the bottom-dwelling species of coastal solutions to bony fish. Large pelagic elasmobranchs waters, including the skates, sawfishes, wedgefishes, are caught by artisanal fisheries (often as bycatch), and guitarfishes. As well as these rays, there is a while demersal species are mainly caught by group of flattened sharks that share this plight, the industrial bottom trawlers. Among the latter, the angel sharks. most penalized species are the laziest ones which move slowly in their environment, such as angel Angel sharks are sit-and-wait ambush predators, sharks or guitarfishes. that use flicks of their broad fins to camouflage themselves in the seabed sand, before lunging from The situation is worrying for these species in their lair to snap small fishes out of the water column industrialized areas of the Mediterranean. For with incredible speed and power. This incredible example, in the Western Mediterranean subregion predatory adaptation is also their downfall as they there have been no official catches of angel sharks are easily scooped up by trawlers and entangled in and guitarfishes for >50 years. In contrast, in areas nylon gillnets. where industrial fishing is almost absent (e.g. Levantine basin), these species are more abundant. Our challenge has been to travel from our Certainly, we need careful and uniform management global overview of the status of sharks to bring throughout the Mediterranean, with a reduction in conservation to the ground, first to priority species fishing effort and methods to mitigate bycatch. within priority regions. The next step is to work within regions to detail where these incredibly rare There are over 20 countries and territories bordering species may still be found in sufficient numbers. the Mediterranean with very different cultures and This report lays out a vital plan to share out angel religions. For sustainable fisheries, we must all shark conservation opportunities and responsibilities agree and there is a need to coordinate the varied through the Mediterranean Sea. I have great hope approaches; this role is played by the General that this plan will provide a focus around which Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). to build a community of dedicated and effective Despite this, it is necessary to integrate actions with conservationists to secure a future for angel sharks. suggestions from IUCN along with work programmes that aim to improve species conservation, such as the Mediterranean Angel Sharks: Regional Action Plan. In fact, it is these programmes that can stimulate decisions and exert the right pressure in the right places to ultimately encourage countries to follow the best path towards improved conservation measures. 4 Contents Collaborators ..................................................... 2 6. Threats in the Mediterranean ...................16 6.1 THREAT TABLE....................................................... 16 Forewords ........................................................... 4 6.2 MEDITERRANEAN THREAT ANALYSIS ............... 17 6.3 CONSTRAINTS ...................................................... 18 1. Introduction ................................................... 6 1.1 FAMILY ...................................................................... 6 7. Mediterranean Regional Action Plan .......19 1.2 CONSERVATION ACTION PLANNING ................... 6 7.1 VISION .................................................................... 19 7.2 GOALS .................................................................... 19 2. Species ............................................................ 8 7.3 GOAL 1 – FISHERIES .............................................. 20 2.1 Squatina aculeata Cuvier, 1829 ............................. 8 7.4 GOAL 2 – 2.2 Squatina oculata Bonaparte, 1840 ........................ 8 HABITATS & NON-FISHING HUMAN IMPACT ... 23 2.3 Squatina squatina (Linnaeus, 1758) ...................... 9 7.5 UNDERLYING GOAL 3 – LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS ..................... 26 2.4 WHAT’S IN A NAME? ............................................. 10 2.5 GLOBAL RED LIST ASSESSMENTS ....................... 10 8. How to engage with this action plan ........31 3. Characterising the Mediterranean ...........11 8.1 ANNEXES ................................................................. 31 8.3 SUBRAP DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY ............ 32 3.1 SHARKS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN ..................... 11 8.2 ENGAGEMENT AND PROGRESS ............................ 32 3.2 MEDITERRANEAN