“I would have released it even if the law allowed fishing it. The ecosystem needs the balance,” the Greek fisherman said. File photo. Credit: Terry Goss / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
A huge, 2.5-meter shark (8.2 feet), believed to be an endangered shortfin mako, was hooked by Greek fisherman Pavlos Pavlidis off the coast of Ermioni, Peloponnese, public broadcaster ERT reported.
The 150-kilogram (over 330-pound) creature put up a fierce fight. Pavlidis told ERT, “I was fishing and suddenly, there it was. I realized something wasn’t right after a few moments,” adding that the impact was tremendous: “It struck the side of my boat twice, and it felt like I’d rammed into another vessel.”
Despite the dramatic encounter, Pavlidis spent about an hour freeing the massive animal. He explained his decision to protect the endangered shark: “I didn’t want to leave the fishing line attached to it, as it could become trapped and die.”
He emphasized that conservation was his priority regardless of legal constraints: “I would have released it even if the law allowed fishing it. The ecosystem needs the balance.”
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Sharks in Greek waters
Thirty-three shark and twenty stingray species have been recorded in seas around Greece in the last ninety years, environmental organization iSea recently reported. According to a recent study, the deadliest decade for recorded shark attacks in Greek waters was the 1950s. Over the span of this decade, there were a total of six incidents, five of which proved fatal.
The overall picture, however, is that shark attacks in Greece are rare. Over the 180 years examined in the study, only 17 recorded incidents have occurred.
Related: Protected Shark on Menu in Greece: A Call for Action