Researchers documented the longest migration of a silky shark, highlighting its extensive travel in international waters and emphasizing the need for global cooperation in shark conservation. The study showcases the urgency of establishing regulations to protect ocean biodiversity and manage the threats faced by these long-traveling sharks.
In a recent study, scientists have documented the most extensive migration ever recorded for a silky shark , traveling over 27,666 kilometers in 546 days. Their research reveals critical insights into the behavior of this severely overfishedand underscores the urgent need for cooperative international management measures to prevent further population declines.
Dr. Pelayo Salinas de León, lead author of the study and co-Principal Investigator of the shark ecology project at the Charles Darwin Foundation noted: “Understanding the migratory pathways of silky and other threatened pelagic sharks is crucial for developing effective management strategies to revert ongoing global population declines.
A threatened species. The tendency of silky sharks to associate with schools of tuna species and floating objects makes them especially vulnerable to industrial tuna fleets that fish around drifting fish aggregation devices.