The hot water of a power station attracts sharks and tourists

A giant powerhouse that emits huge plumes of smoke does not seem to be the most natural habitat of marine life. But the hot water that comes out of the plant in the city of Hadera attracts a quantity of sharks whose survival is compromised by excessive fishing in the Mediterranean. The shark phenomenon has in turn become a tourist attraction.

There have been sand sharks for decades in the vicinity of plants, but only two years ago scientists began studying them. Researcher Aviad Scheinin says there are hundreds of winters approaching the Hadera factory every winter and described as a "rare but legitimate phenomenon".

"The paradox is that it's not a natural environment, it's something that we do not see in the vicinity," said Scheinin, project director on the predators Morris Kahn marine research created by the University of Haifa. and created by the man, with the power station and the heating of the water. "

The changing climate of the Mediterranean Sea is highly desired by sharks, who prefer warm water. Experts say that hot water stimulates the metabolism of sharks, improves their breathing and facilitates pregnancy.

"It's an illogical but very mysterious sight," said Alen Soldo, co-chair of the Sharks Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, based in Switzerland.

Climate change and new species

He said that the water temperature of the plant, several degrees higher than the rest of the sea, is certainly what attracts sharks to Hadera, drawing them from the deep, cold waters where they move in. winter. Apart from that, the phenomenon is little known. "We know that sharks like this water, we can make several badumptions, but we can not say exactly why."

Soldo said he was unaware that there are other places where sharks congregate near power plants located outside of Israel, but he knows some areas of waters. hot, such as corals near Beirut, where sharks may be attracted by the salinity of the water and its temperature.

Scientists say the Mediterranean Sea has never been as hot as today, a result of climate change and the recent expansion of the Suez Cbad, which facilitates the arrival of waters of the Red Sea, one of the hottest in the world.

A recent study published by the journal Natural Climate Change showed that climate change is heating the waters of the Mediterranean.

"The winters are not as cold as before and they are no longer scary to sharks," said Scheinin. "There are many new species of sharks coming from the colder parts of the eastern Mediterranean and settling there".

At a recent outing, Scheinin and other scientists went a little way off the coast and shut down the engine of their boat. The researchers were trying to detect the sharks as the boat swayed to the rhythm of the waves emitted by the plant. A sandbox shark, now entangled by ropes, suddenly appeared. The scientists placed an electronic plate and released it.

"It's ironic that everything we know about sharks comes from fishing companies that are putting their survival at risk," said Eye Bigal, head of the project's laboratory.

The research group plans to prepare the first comprehensive report containing data on a little-known and threatened shark species in the Mediterranean.

According to the researchers, overfishing, a result of high demand and poor fishing regulations in countries such as Lebanon and Syria, has destroyed 90% of the shark population since the 1950s.

The absence of large predators would jeopardize the balance of the entire marine ecosystem.

"If you do away with the above, the whole food chain is falling apart," warned Soldo, "and different life forms can disappear."

Sharks also attract tourists.

The municipality of Hadera and the Parks Authority, among other groups, are collaborating to build an observation center. Last month, they gave a series of lectures to inform tourists about sharks, their behavior and their protection.

Scheinin said that the study of Hadera sharks "will help us badess what can happen to different species when the water temperature rises".