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Maltese Authorities Are Investigating Case Of Killed Protected Shark

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The Environmental and Resources Authority have called on the public to send any information they have on any shark captures following images of what looks to be a protected species captured in Maltese waters spread online. Speaking to Lovin Malta, an officer from ERA said that they had immediately begun investigating the video and images that had appeared on social media on Sunday.

“The shark in question seems to be a Smalltooth sand tiger shark (Odontaspis ferox) or sand tiger (Carcharias taurus), both of which are protected as specimen of national interest in need of strict protection. However, the species can only be confirmed if an inspection of the specimen is carried out,” they said.

“The information made available to ERA was not sufficient to identify the vessel shown in the video, despite an in-depth analysis of the information on the Marine Traffic Website,” they said.

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ERA are now calling for more information on this case, or indeed, any cases involving sharks in Maltese waters

“The Authority would like to inform the public that the success of investigations highly depends on the extent of information made available. In this case, information such as the name of vessel, date of catch and any other information would have assisted ERA in identifying the vessel and ascertaining whether there were any infringements to environmental legislation,” they said.

If you have any information for ERA, you can contact them here.

‘Maltese people consume shark’ – Sharklab Malta

A local shark-focused NGO, Sharklab Malta, said that it was nothing unusual to see a Maltese fisherman with a caught shark. They pointed out that there are 35 different species of shark that travel through Maltese water, with 13 of them being protected.

“It’s not uncommon for fishermen to capture sharks,” said Greg Nowell from Sharklab Malta. “Maltese people consume shark, if you go to many supermarkets you can find blue sharks in frozen steak form.”

Do you have any experience with sharks in Malta?

READ NEXT: Maltese Man Boasts About Capturing And Killing Massive Shark

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Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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