A two-meter blue shark was spotted on Wednesday July 27 on Almanarre beach in Hyères in the Var. Nothing abnormal and worrying, about fifty species of sharks inhabit the Mediterranean. Sometimes they wander off to our shores. The fear of sharks is deeply rooted in the collective imagination. However, experts explain that there is no danger.
Little moment of stress this Wednesday, July 27th. Almanarre beach in Hyères in the Var would be closed following the discovery of a shark near the edge.
Contacted, the communication department of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service of Var SDIS, gave us these details:
A blue shark was indeed seen by a person on a paddle this Wednesday morning, Almanarre beach has never been closed. Since then, we do not know where he went and above all, it must be said that this presence is nothing exceptional!
the SDIS 83 communication service.
The shark was seen near the beach of Port Hélène exactly in water that today showed 25 degrees told us Salomé Vermersch, “beach marshall” on the Almanarre beach in Hyères.
It’s about of a female“it is confirmed by my care by the images which were transmitted to us during the day and is at least 2 m long. You have to stay away for the safety of the animal and not to stress it'”, we precise Nicolas Ziani, marine biologist and founder of the Marseille Group for the Study of Sharks.
It is this sector that is concerned and for once, monitored.
The town hall has clarified thatat “at the request of the Phocaean Group for the Study of Sharks, in conjunction with the CNRS, access to the beach of Port Hélène and to the dike overlooking the San Salvador hospital have been neutralized by the municipal police.
An operation should be held to find out how to help this female who has come to give birth.
This is the breeding period, the females come close to the sides to give birth. Usually, they take shelter from predators in creeks, creeks, bays… This one was not discreet!
Nicolas Ziani, marine biologist and founder of the Marseille Group for the Study of Sharks.
The blue shark, also called blue shark, is regularly seen in the waters of our coast. “There are thousands of blue sharks offshore especially in summer,” explained to us in June 2019 Nicolas Ziani, scientific manager and founder of the Marseille Group for the Study of Sharks.
This year already, por several days, the presence of a female blue shark had aroused curiosity in the port of l’Estaque in Marseilles during the month of April.
“These sharks stay on the surface because they are very sensitive to water temperature and the sun. You can see them in ports and creeks. They come to coastal waters to look for food or give birth. sees one in a port. The blue shark is opportunistic, it is attracted by discarded food”.
This blue shark (Prionace glauca) is safe for humans. This is the case for most 50 species recorded in the Mediterranean, the vast majority of which never leave the great depths of the Big Blue. Some sharks live up to 4000 meters deep.
There is little risk that a human will ever see the tip of a fin. The others are considered harmless by specialists and live very far from the coast, in the open sea.
“The only dangerous is the great white shark and it has almost disappeared, there are a few isolated specimens in the Adriatic,
In 2012, we thought we saw one on our coasts but the dentition confirmed that it was in fact a Mako shark which only feeds on large fish.
The Mako is related to the Great White Shark. This beautiful specimen was captured by the lens of biologist diver and underwater photographer Anthony Leydet who shared on his Instagram account the shot taken in the waters of the Calanques National Park near Marseille.
Less than a dozen sharks have been reported by boaters along our coasts in recent years.
Their presence is indicated on this map:
The shark population in Mediterranean waters is estimated at around 500 individuals. There is a very wide variety. Most do not exceed two meters.
The depths are also home to larger specimens such as the big-eyed thresher shark, the hammerhead shark or the basking shark, a giant plankton eater that is totally harmless although impressive with its 10 meters in length.
Of the man or the shark, the shark is the one who has the most reason to be afraid of disappearing.
Mako, porbeagle, great white shark, bull shark, fierce shark, blue shark, hammerhead shark, gray shark, spiny dogfish, common centrine, common shagreen, common angel shark, these 12 Mediterranean species are on the global red list critically endangered species established by experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which assesses the state of populations around the world.
The Longitude 181 association, which has been carrying out awareness-raising actions since 2002 with the general public, has published a downloadable poster of Mediterranean species to be protected.
The Ailerons association also works to protect Mediterranean sharks. It tries to raise awareness among the public and recreational fishermen about the preservation of sharks like this blue shark (Prionace glauca), “critically endangered in the Mediterranean” but which is not a protected species.
She recalls that it is “the last large pelagic shark that can still be observed in our Mediterranean waters” and that “its population has declined by more than 90% in recent decades.
According to the IUCN barometer, populations of blue sharks, common hammerhead sharks, great white sharks, fierce sharks and gull sharks declined between 2007 and 2016.
Several factors are involved, mainly accidental catches in nets, plastic waste and the degradation of their natural habitat by humans. The slow reproduction of certain species also works against them. The female white shark does not reach sexual maturity until 12 years old, she has few young and her gestation lasts from 7 months to 2 years.
“Climate changes and their impact on the marine ecosystem also lead to environmental transformations that threaten the species, by impacting the distribution of populations as well as those of their prey” underlines the WWF which fights for the survival of sharks in the world.
In the Mediterranean, 16 out of 32 species are exposed to a high risk of extinction, that is half!
There is no need to add additional pressure on these already battered species” pleads the association which has published a guide to good practice to regulate the observation of sharks.
The shark is unloved, it struggles to inspire the sympathy of the general public. The cardboard jaws of Steven Spielberg’s shark have permanently traumatized swimmers around the world. Since 1975 the fear of the man-eater has died hard.
However, there have not been more than 100 attacks by men recorded in the Mediterranean since the Middle Ages. “Five attacks have been recorded in France over this period, says Nicolas Ziani. The last goes up to 1989 in Italian waters and it was during a spearfishing. The shark was attracted by the signal sent by the fish in distress”.
In the event of a chance encounter with a man, it is often the more stressed shark of the two. “The shark is shy, insists Nicolas Ziani, we saw in 2012 a 5-meter shark circling around a boat, when it approaches it, it runs away”.
At the sight of a biped, most sharks prefer to turn their fins.
“He is not interested in humans unless he is baited with fish that bleed into the water”, underlined the biologist.
However, it is recommended that boaters who come across a shark do not approach and not try to touch it. This could elicit defensive behavior. “In Cap d’Agde, boaters wanted to improvise a rescue, says Nicolas Ziani, there was no problem but you never know what the shark’s reaction may be if it is stressed or injured.”
If you observe a shark in coastal waters in Paca, the best thing to do is to alert the authorities and volunteer associations. Sharks are essential to the preservation of marine ecosystems.
“They are terminal predators, they eat sick and dead animals. They are key regulators of other speciesmilitates Nicolas Ziani, they must be respected”.
The scientist multiplies the interventions with the public to relentlessly convey this message.