Angel Sharks: Masters of Stealth and Critically Endangered
SHOW NOTES
But before we get to know angel sharks, we find out about the first time Eva and Jake got to see them in the wild [09.21]. Eva’s experience stands out as particularly memorable because at first, she didn’t see them! While searching for common angelsharks[1] (Squatina squatina) in the Canary Islands (a place we’ll find out much more about later in the episode), Eva’s buddy kept pointing at the sand, indicating there was an angelshark just beneath them. But it was so well hidden that Eva couldn’t see anything, even with someone pointing it out. She did manage to see one in the end, but admits that, even now, it still takes her a few minutes to locate one – a testament to their incredible camouflage. Jake is also familiar with how hard it is to find an angelshark [11.25]. Jake lives on the west coast of Wales, where angelsharks are a much rarer sight than in the Canaries – so rare that Jake thought it was impossible to capture one on film. But one day the stars aligned, and Jake was the first person to film an angelshark underwater off the coast of the UK! His footage served as proof that angelsharks could still be found in UK waters, something we’ll get into a little later on in the episode.
But first, we talk about the sharks themselves [14.15]. As Eva tells us, angel sharks are very uniquely shaped, with a flat body more like a ray than a shark. They hang out on the seafloor, where they bury themselves in the substrate and lie unseen. Angel sharks are known for their incredible ability to camouflage; different species have different colourings and markings to allow them to perfectly blend in with their surroundings. This gives them the element of surprise. Angel sharks are perfectly adapted ambush predators, capable of disappearing into the seabed where they lie in wait for unsuspecting prey. Once prey crosses its path, the angel shark will strike, snatching it up in wide, trap-like jaws. Perhaps this behaviour is not very “angel-like”! But Eva believes that the name comes from the way they move, rather than the way they hunt [15.35]. When swimming, angel sharks can look very graceful, using their wing-like pectoral fins to glide through the water.
There are 23 species of angel shark currently known to science [16.00]. But, there may be more. It’s not only difficult to differentiate between species, but it’s also a challenge to find and catch them in the wild (as we’ve just discussed!). Jake explains that they can be found around the world, including South Africa, Australia, South America, the Mediterranean and the north-east Atlantic [17.04]. The latter has three species, which includes the common angelshark Squatina squatina. Over the years the distribution of S. squatina has diminished, resulting in sub-populations scattered about the north-east Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. They are usually found in shallow, coastal environments where they prefer sandy sediments (all the better for hiding!). They’ll use their large pectoral fins to ‘flick’ the sand over their back, and can bury themselves so deep that only an eye will be exposed. They also have a thick mucous layer that acts as an adhesive, causing the sand to stick and making it easier for them to pull a disappearing act.
Unfortunately, this propensity for shallow, coastal environments has made them vulnerable to a number of threats [21.10]. They are easy to catch, and in some parts of the world face intense fishing pressure as a result. The juveniles are especially susceptible, as they utilise very shallow nursery grounds close in to shore (sometimes only a metre deep). This can also make them vulnerable to coastal developments – the construction of a new harbour or pier, for example. Habitat modification and habitat destruction are also major threats facing angel sharks, alongside fishing. And, like all sharks, angel sharks are very slow to reproduce. All these factors have driven some species to the brink of extinction; at time of writing, eight species are listed as Critically Endangered and four as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Another problem is that they are relatively hard to study – there are many gaps in our knowledge of angel sharks.
The Angel Shark Project is trying to fill these gaps, and use this information to develop conservation strategies for angel sharks across their range [27.46]. The project was started ten years ago in the Canary Islands, co-founded by Eva. The Canary Islands are located on the West African coast, and are considered the last ‘stronghold’ for common angelsharks. In fact, the Canary Islands are not only important for angelsharks, but numerous other species of elasmobranch. The exact reason for their abundance here is unknown, although the islands do benefit from cold water currents that cause upwelling, bringing nutrients to the area and generating unique environmental conditions. Another theory is that the islands act as a natural barrier, providing a more enclosed area with the perfect conditions for angelsharks to thrive, along with less threats – less intensive fishing pressure, less coastal developments. Without the baseline data, these are all assumptions, but it seems as though something is different in the Canary Islands that is allowing angelsharks to flourish.
Eva first discovered angel sharks while working on her Master’s project [33.49]. She had read about angel sharks in a publication of the most threatened shark species worldwide, and was intrigued. She began to research, and saw a lot of information on social media about diving with common angelsharks in the Canaries – which is still popular to this day. Eva reached out to the University of Las Palmas in Gran Canarias to ask if she could collaborate on a project about angelsharks, and luckily they said yes! Eva originally wanted to work with divers, collecting data from them on what they had seen. This developed into the Angel Shark Project, which later became more formalised when Eva met Jo Barker from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Over the next ten years, this collaboration blossomed into an established project with funding from the Save Our Seas Foundation and ZSL. This allowed the project to not only work with divers, but also the fishing industry.
In 2016, the Angel Shark Action Plan was published [37.43]. It addressed two problems: 1) that not many people knew about angel sharks, and 2) there was no real coordination of the key stakeholders. Eva and her team engaged a number of stakeholders in a workshop, which included the fishing and diving industries, researchers, NGOs and government officials. Together, they came up with the action plan. The first goal was to get angelsharks into the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species. The second was to minimise any threats from the fishing industry, and the third was to engage the local community in conservation and research efforts. It has been a huge success – angelsharks were listed in the Spanish Catalogue in 2019 and declared a protected species, and the Spanish government have developed a recovery plan for the species which incorporate many of the elements outlined by the Canary Islands Action Plan.
And the Angel Shark Project hasn’t stopped there. They have used their success as a template for other regions, and there are now seven angel shark projects in other countries. This includes Wales, in the UK, for which Jake is project coordinator [41.50]. Wales differs from the Canary Islands in several ways. A lot of the knowledge that we have about angelsharks in the UK comes from historical records, mainly photographs taken by fishers. These demonstrate that angelsharks were once found all around the UK, although records of them are now few and far between. A key difference between the UK and the Canary Islands is that the angelshark was designated as a protected species in 2008, and afforded the highest level of protection. So, a key challenge wasn’t getting them protected by law, but understanding more about them. Jake believes records have dropped because of changes within the fishing industry, which in Wales has moved from netting – methods that may have captured angelsharks more easily – to potting, where angelsharks are less frequently caught. This is also combined with poorer conditions for spotting angelsharks in the UK. They are hard enough to see already, but with longer periods of unfavourable weather and bad visibility off the coast of Wales, it’s even more of a challenge!
A large focus of the Angel Shark Project: Wales is working with the fishing community [49.40]. Prior to the project starting, Jake and some of his colleagues had spoken to fishers and discovered relatively recent evidence of angelsharks in Welsh waters. This gave them the idea to explore the historical context, and speak with more fishers to look at photos and historical records. They managed to get some funding which allowed the Angel Shark Project: Wales to get off the ground. Now, they engage with the fishing community and encourage them to share their stories, photos and newspaper clippings of angelsharks to build a narrative that is missing from the scientific literature. They now have over 2, 500 records, and are receiving around 6 more every year. Similarly, in forming a relationship with fishers, they are able to take genetic samples from any individuals that have been landed in present day. Jake has also been trialling the use of Baited Remote Underwater Video systems, or BRUVs, funded by the Save Our Seas Foundation. All of this work is helping to better understand how the Welsh population has changed overtime, and how they may be better protected in the future.
Both these projects now fall under the Angel Shark Conservation Network (ASCN) [53.40]. Developed in 2016, the ASCN aims to build a wider strategy for angel sharks throughout their range, replicating the lessons learned in the Canary Islands to a more global setting. Eva hopes that the network can connect the people working on different projects, and support them through the sharing of experiences and ideas. This kind of collaborative work across jurisdictional boundaries is sorely needed if we are to bring angel sharks back from the brink of extinction.
June 26th is International Angel Shark Day. Why not get involved using #AngelSharkDay!
You can also read more about the projects mentioned here, here, here and here.
[1] A quick note – ‘angelshark’ written as all one word indicates a single species, whereas the words are separated (‘angel shark’) when talking about multiple species from the family Squatinidae.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS
EVA MEYERS
Co-founder and Co-lead Angel Shark Project, Leibniz Institute for the analysis of Biodiversity Change
Eva is a conservation biologist from Germany, raised in South America. For the past 10 years, she has been involved in various policy, research and conservation projects across the globe. She has extensive experience as a project manager, field researcher and founded knowledge in international nature and biodiversity conservation, as well as environmental policy.
Eva has worked as a consultant for the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the CMS Sharks Memorandum of Understanding. For six years she served as programme management officer for the UN Environment Programme coordinating an intergovernmental platform addressing the conservation and sustainable use of migratory waterbirds.
10 years ago, she co-founded the Angel Shark Project, a collaboration between various institutions incl. the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, where she is based now, aiming to safeguard the future of Critically Endangered angel sharks. Eva is also a member of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, Northern Europe Group and the German Elasmobranch Association (DEG).
Bluesky: @evameyers.bsky.social
Instagram: Angelsharkproject
JAKE DAVIES
TECHNICAL SPECIALIST (PROJECT SIARC), PROJECT COORDINATOR (ANGEL SHARK PROJECT: WALES)
Jake is the technical specialist for Project SIARC (Sharks Inspiring Action and Research with Communities) and Angel Shark Project: Wales, where he supports the management of the project with a focus on fisher engagement and BRUVS (Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems) surveys.
He is also an underwater videographer, as JDScuba, where he brings the underwater life from below the surface of the Welsh coast to wider audiences. In 2021 he was fortunate to encounter an Angelshark off the Welsh coast and film the first underwater footage of the species off the UK coast.
Instagram: @JDScuba and @ProjectSIARC
