Two Bull Huss Sharks Rescued From Lost Crab Pot Off Cornwall
Photo Credit: Matt Slater
Divers have rescued two bull huss sharks after discovering them trapped inside a lost crab pot during a survey dive off St Mawes, Cornwall.
Two bull huss sharks were found trapped inside a lost crab pot during a dive off St Mawes, highlighting the ongoing threat posed to marine wildlife by lost and abandoned fishing equipment.
The discovery was made by Cornwall Wildlife Trust marine conservation officer Matt Slater, who was diving with a friend as part of a Cornwall Council-funded project monitoring maerl beds in the area.
The divers came across the crab pot with the two sharks trapped inside.
“It’s amazing that two sharks would fit in there,” said Slater. “It takes sharks a long time to die but they would have starved to death eventually. They could have been trapped in there for weeks.”
The bull huss, also known as the nursehound or greater-spotted catshark, can grow to around 160cm (5ft) in length.
The incident has prompted Cornwall Wildlife Trust to encourage people to report lost fishing equipment encountered at sea, while highlighting the wider issue of so-called ghost gear.
A problem for wildlife and fishermen
Lost or abandoned fishing gear can continue to trap marine animals long after it has disappeared from use.
Slater said that neither conservationists nor fishers wanted to see wildlife becoming trapped in lost equipment, adding that tackling the problem would require cooperation between the different groups involved.
“This is an issue we can only solve by working together,” he said.
“Better reporting, recovery and prevention of lost gear can help protect marine wildlife while supporting sustainable fishing businesses.”
The Trust points out that the vast majority of fishing gear is lost accidentally, with bad weather and challenging sea conditions among the reasons equipment can become lost.
Slater said this made cooperation between fishers, conservation organisations and coastal communities particularly important in finding practical ways to reduce the problem.
Calling for action on ghost gear
Cornwall Wildlife Trust says the rescue of the two bull huss highlights a much wider issue facing the fishing industry.
The organisation is calling on the government to invest in measures that can help prevent fishing gear from being lost, improve reporting of lost equipment and support efforts to recover it.
The Trust says these measures should form part of wider action to protect Cornwall’s marine environment while continuing to support sustainable fishing.
The rescue also demonstrates the value of underwater surveys and the role divers can play in identifying threats to marine life.
For the two bull huss discovered off St Mawes, being found by the divers meant they were able to escape a potentially fatal fate inside the lost crab pot.
Source: BBC.
