<
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/05/ghost-fish-after-420-million-years-in-the-deeps-modern-gillnets-from-shark-fin-trade-drag-coelacanths-into-the-light/>
* Undersea canyons off Madagascar may turn out to be the Indian Ocean
epicentre for coelacanths, the remarkable “fossil fish” which re-surfaced
from apparent extinction in 1938.
* Coelacanths have turned up with unexpected frequency in gill-nets set in
deep waters to catch sharks for new, commercial markets.
* A worrying trend in recent coelacanth catches in Madagascar is the high
proportion of pregnant females, which are thought to produce just 140 live
babies during their entire lifecycle.
* Marine scientists are calling for reinforcement of conservation measures
to protect this population from the pressure of incidental gill-net captures
driven by the shark fin trade.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
