Shark Breeding Ground Confirmed off Northern East Coast
Editor's Note:
Georges Bank is not located in Canadian Territory, it is under U.S. Waters.
Scientists have discovered a new breeding ground for porbeagle sharks off Canada's East Coast, giving hope to a species whose numbers have been steadily slipping around the world.
A research team located the mating area on Georges Bank earlier this month after hearing reports from fishermen that they were hauling up the large, blue-grey sharks in their nets.
Steve Campana, a marine biologist who specializes in the species, said the find makes it only the second known breeding ground in the Northwest Atlantic for the fast, fierce-looking shark that can reach almost four metres in length.
"This is really good news," Campana said from his office at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Halifax where he heads the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory.
"To have a second mating ground where they actually seem to be more abundant is great news. … It is key toward conservation efforts."
Researchers set two lines near the northern edge of Georges Bank, a rich scallop and groundfish fishing ground almost 500 kilometres from the Nova Scotia coast. Within hours, he said they pulled in 21 sharks...
