2005 ADRIATIC EXPEDITION

Adriatic Expedition Report July 18 - August 9 2005 continued.

RESULTS

In addition to the 308.5 hours chumming achieved by our expedition there was other regular daily chumming going on in our general area of operations being done by sports angling boats trying to attract blue fin tuna. These angling boats reported blue shark captures and I have included these reports when sure of their authenticity.

• - Nine (9) blue sharks (Prionace glauca) were caught and released or sighted round our boats.
• - Two (2) blue fin tuna were caught by our Croatian skippers.
• - Several (at least 18) (Myliobatus aquilla) locally known as black rays/eagle rays.
• - Four (4) confirmed incidents (species unknown) of attacks on bait bags and chum stations.

In addition to the above I would add credible reports of a further seven (7) Prionace glauca caught/seen and identified by angling boats reporting to us. Thus our expeditions 308.5 hours chumming produced only nine Prionace glauca. If the 7 Prionace glauca identified by angling boats are added the total is 16 with the total chumming time increasing to something over 400 hours.

NOTE

Dr. Alen Soldo asked us to investigate the area where the islands of Dugi Otok and Kornati come together as he had heard reports that this area was a blue shark pupping ground. Nine hours and fifty minutes chumming was done in this area from two boats covering a drifted area of 3 ½ miles. The only specimen identified was a Prionace glauca female pup which was tagged and released. Not conclusive proof of a pupping ground, but given that the only specimen encountered was a pup, the indication is that the reports received by Dr. Soldo are correct.

CONCLUSION

Eight complete 24 hour periods were chummed with eleven further days of chumming activity between 3 ½ and 23 hours (total 308 ½ hours). The activity was conducted at seven locations with a further site added at the suggestion of Alen Soldo. We had expectations of daily Prionace glauca contacts and also hoped for encounters with Lamna nasus (porbeagle) Alopias vulpinas (common thresher) Isurus oxyrinchus (short fin mako) Cetorhinus maximus (basking shark) Squalus acanthias (piked dogfish) Squalus blainvillei (longnose spurdog) Carcharodon carcharias (great white shark) Scyliorhinus canicula (small spotted catshark) Scyliorhinus stellaris (nursehound) Mustelus asterias (starry smooth-hound) Musteluis mustelus (common smooth-hound).

The expedition used various chum techniques with chum stations sunk to various depths including below the thermocline, and where hooks were used hoping for captures and tagging, these were also deployed at various depths with various different baits.

Of the 28/29 species listed as present in the Adriatic we had hoped to encounter the twelve species previously listed, but in fact can only record the 16 confirmed specimens of Prionace glauca in over 400 hours of chumming at our 7+ different sites. (*N.B. Small numbers of squalus were observed landed in Jazera and Murter by local fishermen).

This is a truly alarming result and indicates that shark populations in the central Adriatic are even more depleted than was previously thought. I don't believe that a research exercise of this magnitude has even been carried out in this area before, and I do believe that the results/conclusions achieved, present an accurate and truly depressing picture. All those on the expedition hope that our findings may be used as part of future efforts to gain protection for some species, and sustainable fisheries management plans for the Adriatic sea.