Sharks almost gone from many reefs

[sl8]

From https://www.jcu.edu.au/news/releases/2020/july/sharks-almost-gone-from-many-reefs

Sharks almost gone from many reefs

Thu, 23 Jul 2020

A massive global study of the world’s reefs has found sharks are ‘functionally extinct’ on nearly one in five of the reefs surveyed.

James Cook University’s Professor Colin Simpfendorfer was one of the scientists who took part in the study, published today in Nature by the Global FinPrint organisation. He said of the 371 reefs surveyed in 58 countries, sharks were rarely seen on close to 20 percent of those reefs.

“This doesn’t mean there are never any sharks on these reefs, but what it does mean is that they are ‘functionally extinct’ – they are not playing their normal role in the ecosystem,” said Professor Simpfendorfer.

He said almost no sharks were detected on any of the 69 reefs of six nations: the Dominican Republic, the French West Indies, Kenya, Vietnam, the Windward Dutch Antilles and Qatar.

[...]

[MuseRider]

1. That is tragic.

It will certainly change the reef life even more.

It makes me sad. Many of the dives in my life were done with sharks around. They were amazing to watch. We were never threatened or I might feel differently. It was always always a treat to see them.

[soothsayer]

2. Hmm

Drumpf hates sharks, reportedly.

Look for ocean-going stormtroopers. Maybes they’re behind this.

[CatLady78]

3. Sad

I suppose this will be the next 100 years...more articles about one species after another going extinct...