New Baby Shark Nursery Off Ireland

Ever heard of the saying “If you think of something hard enough it will come to fruition”? It’s something along those lines, anyways. Well, the addictive song “Baby Shark” coupled with IKEA’s plushie sharks making waves on the internet has had many people thinking about these animals. The news of baby sharks being found near IKEA’s home base (sort of…) has combined these two internet sensations into one astonishing discovery.

The extraordinary findings were announced at the INFOMAR seabed mapping seminar in Kinsale, showcasing footage captured by the Marine Institute’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Holland 1. Chief scientist David O’Sullivan of INFOMAR and Chief Scientist on the Sensitive Ecosystem Analysis and ROV Exploration of Reef habitat (SeaRover) survey said: “We are delighted to report the discovery of a rare shark nursery on a scale not previously documented in Irish waters. No pups were obvious at the site and it is believed that the adult sharks might be utilising degraded coral reef and exposed carbonate rock on which to lay their eggs. A healthy coral reef in the vicinity may act as a refuge for the juvenile shark pups once they hatch. It is anticipated that further study of the site will answer some important scientific questions on the biology and ecology of deep-water sharks in Irish waters.”

Located a little over 300 km northwest of Galway, Ireland, a nursery with thousands of egg cases were captured on video taken by the ROV deployed by scientists on board the ILV Granuaile. This shark nursery was observed in one of six offshore Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Irish waters at about 750 meters deep. The scientists were not specifically looking for a shark nursery, with the mission of this expedition focusing around the exploration of Ireland’s deep ocean territory including deep water coral reef systems. The find of these egg cases – referred to as mermaid purses – was captured this summer, and researchers have been badyzing the footage and other data obtained since then.

Marine researchers describe this as a very rare shark nursery due to the large concentrations of eggs; according to scientists, these huge quantities suggest that female sharks may gather in the area with a  nearby coral reef acting as a safe haven for the baby sharks (called pups) when they hatch. But what species of sharks did these eggs belong to? Large numbers of Blackmouth catshark (Galeus melastomus) were present in this nursery, which we badume are responsible for these eggs. These sharks are common to the northeast Atlantic ocean, and as such are badessed by the  International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as "Least Concern" and having a stable population.

They are a strikingly colored slender shark, while the inside of their mouth is, as you might have already guessed, black. With a pattern of dark blotches and saddles on their top side (called the ‘dorsal side’), it is a stark contrast against their snowy white belly. Blackmouth catsharks are not large sharks with a maximum recorded length measuring 90cm (2.95 ft), with individuals more commonly being measured between 60 and 80cm (1.96 and 2.62 ft) in length. The Blackmouth catshark was widely talked about in 2017 by shark scientists, as it was found that microplastic (<5 mm) ingestion had been recorded in this species around the Balearic Islands. In the 125 individuals badyzed, 16.80% of the specimens had ingested some microplastic ingestion. How plastic pollution affects sharks was discussed in a previous Forbes article.

If that wasn’t cool enough, the footage also recorded a rather solitary loner: the Sailfin roughshark (Oxynotus paradoxus). This rare shark can grow to a length of 1.2m (3.93 ft) and is considered “Data Deficient” by the IUCN due to having little knowledge about the species as a whole. It is one of only two species of the Oxynotidae genus of sharks, found in the northeast Atlantic region from Scotland down to the Cape Verde Islands and the Azores. Observed roaming the Atlantic continental slopes, those involved with the project think this peculiar-looking lone predator may have been using this nursery as a feeding ground… but not to feed on the adults. Some sharks are known to feed on the eggs of other sharks, and therefore this may be why this one was hanging around the nursery. No feeding behavior was captured on the video.

“Both species are of scientific interest as Ireland has an obligation to monitor deep-water sharks under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive”, said Maurice Clarke from the Fisheries Ecosystem Advisory Services at the Marine Institute. The unearthing of this special habitat stresses the value that mapping the seabed habitats has. The Marine Institute says these regions are home to various marine animals including sea fans, sponges, worms, starfish, crustaceans and a diverse fish. This trek was second of three expeditions that have been funded by the Government and State agencies, and the EU’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Guess all of us, especially those in Ireland, will be singing about baby sharks for a little while longer.

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Ever heard of the saying “If you think of something hard enough it will come to fruition”? It’s something along those lines, anyways. Well, the addictive song “Baby Shark” coupled with IKEA’s plushie sharks making waves on the internet has had many people thinking about these animals. The news of baby sharks being found near IKEA’s home base (sort of…) has combined these two internet sensations into one astonishing discovery.

The extraordinary findings were announced at the INFOMAR seabed mapping seminar in Kinsale, showcasing footage captured by the Marine Institute’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Holland 1. Chief scientist David O’Sullivan of INFOMAR and Chief Scientist on the Sensitive Ecosystem Analysis and ROV Exploration of Reef habitat (SeaRover) survey said: “We are delighted to report the discovery of a rare shark nursery on a scale not previously documented in Irish waters. No pups were obvious at the site and it is believed that the adult sharks might be utilising degraded coral reef and exposed carbonate rock on which to lay their eggs. A healthy coral reef in the vicinity may act as a refuge for the juvenile shark pups once they hatch. It is anticipated that further study of the site will answer some important scientific questions on the biology and ecology of deep-water sharks in Irish waters.”

Located a little over 300 km northwest of Galway, Ireland, a nursery with thousands of egg cases were captured on video taken by the ROV deployed by scientists on board the ILV Granuaile. This shark nursery was observed in one of six offshore Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Irish waters at about 750 meters deep. The scientists were not specifically looking for a shark nursery, with the mission of this expedition focusing around the exploration of Ireland’s deep ocean territory including deep water coral reef systems. The find of these egg cases – referred to as mermaid purses – was captured this summer, and researchers have been badyzing the footage and other data obtained since then.

Marine researchers describe this as a very rare shark nursery due to the large concentrations of eggs; according to scientists, these huge quantities suggest that female sharks may gather in the area with a  nearby coral reef acting as a safe haven for the baby sharks (called pups) when they hatch. But what species of sharks did these eggs belong to? Large numbers of Blackmouth catshark (Galeus melastomus) were present in this nursery, which we badume are responsible for these eggs. These sharks are common to the northeast Atlantic ocean, and as such are badessed by the  International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as “Least Concern” and having a stable population.

They are a strikingly colored slender shark, while the inside of their mouth is, as you might have already guessed, black. With a pattern of dark blotches and saddles on their top side (called the ‘dorsal side’), it is a stark contrast against their snowy white belly. Blackmouth catsharks are not large sharks with a maximum recorded length measuring 90cm (2.95 ft), with individuals more commonly being measured between 60 and 80cm (1.96 and 2.62 ft) in length. The Blackmouth catshark was widely talked about in 2017 by shark scientists, as it was found that microplastic (<5 mm) ingestion had been recorded in this species around the Balearic Islands. In the 125 individuals badyzed, 16.80% of the specimens had ingested some microplastic ingestion. How plastic pollution affects sharks was discussed in a previous Forbes article.

If that wasn’t cool enough, the footage also recorded a rather solitary loner: the Sailfin roughshark (Oxynotus paradoxus). This rare shark can grow to a length of 1.2m (3.93 ft) and is considered “Data Deficient” by the IUCN due to having little knowledge about the species as a whole. It is one of only two species of the Oxynotidae genus of sharks, found in the northeast Atlantic region from Scotland down to the Cape Verde Islands and the Azores. Observed roaming the Atlantic continental slopes, those involved with the project think this peculiar-looking lone predator may have been using this nursery as a feeding ground… but not to feed on the adults. Some sharks are known to feed on the eggs of other sharks, and therefore this may be why this one was hanging around the nursery. No feeding behavior was captured on the video.

“Both species are of scientific interest as Ireland has an obligation to monitor deep-water sharks under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive”, said Maurice Clarke from the Fisheries Ecosystem Advisory Services at the Marine Institute. The unearthing of this special habitat stresses the value that mapping the seabed habitats has. The Marine Institute says these regions are home to various marine animals including sea fans, sponges, worms, starfish, crustaceans and a diverse fish. This trek was second of three expeditions that have been funded by the Government and State agencies, and the EU’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Guess all of us, especially those in Ireland, will be singing about baby sharks for a little while longer.