More than 300 kilometers off the coast of Ireland, scientists have discovered a gigantic “shark nursery”. A rare phenomenon that has aroused great interest in the research community.
It all began in July 2018. A research team was mobilized to study the coral reef in Irish waters as part of a study entitled “SeaRover”. Equipped with a remote-controlled robot, they began to explore the seabed and discovered a veritable “headquarters” dedicated to shark reproduction. Several thousand eggs were laid directly on the seafloor, with adult sharks keeping watch over their protégés.
The discovery was filmed and posted on YouTube. According to the Irish national agency “Marine Institute Ireland”, the sharks moving over the eggs were Blackmouth Pristiures (Galeus melastomus), but also Humantine Centrins (Oxynotus paradoxus), 2 oviparous species rather frequent in the North Atlantic. The concentration of their eggs extends over an area of 750 meters: never seen before.
“Such a large concentration of eggs is rarely observed and indicates that females have gathered here to lay their eggs on the ocean floor.”
Although this discovery raises new questions, the Marine Institute Ireland plans to protect this shark nursery, with the aim of preserving the balance and biodiversity of the sea. She also plans to keep this area under observation, to better understand the fascinating biology of these species.
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