One of the world\u2019s rarest shark species has been captured on an underwater camera as it swam through a Welsh bay.<\/p>\n
The angel shark was caught by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ (WTSWW) underwater cameras in Cardigan Bay.<\/p>\n
Angel sharks are critically endangered, having suffered “significant decline” as a result of fishing and habitat degradation.<\/p>\n
The footage came as part of National Marine Week, which runs from July 26 to August 10.<\/p>\n
The angel shark was captured on WTSWW’s Baited Underwater Remote Video Systems (BRUVS) which had been deployed by a research team\u00a0investigating dolphin diets and marine diversity in Cardigan Bay.<\/p>\n
Dr Sarah Perry, marine conservation and research manager at WTSWW, said: \u201cWe were thrilled to record an angel shark in Cardigan Bay, a rare and exciting encounter.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore this project started, angel sharks hadn\u2019t been captured on film in Cardigan Bay since 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis sighting comes at a crucial time, as the Senedd and UK Government discuss a ban on bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Dolphin Diet Detectives project, funded by the Welsh Government through the Nature Networks Fund, uses underwater cameras to reveal the incredible diversity of life on the seabed.<\/p>\n
The Largest National Parks in the UK<\/p>\n
\u201cThese findings highlight the urgent need to protect these fragile habitats from damaging activities like bottom trawling.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cameras were deployed in a range of habitats and left to record for just one hour at each location.<\/p>\n
They\u00a0have captured a huge range of wildlife\u00a0both inside and outside of marine protected areas, including spider crabs, wrasse, and\u00a0most recently, the angel shark.<\/p>\n
The WTSWW say that even marine protected areas, of which there are 139 in Wales, are not yet fully protected from destructive fishing activities.<\/p>\n
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