This discovery of a new hammerhead shark species was no cause for celebration.
What's happening?
It took Florida International University researchers years to separate Sphyrna alleni, also known as the shovelbill shark, from another hammerhead, Sphyrna tiburo, known as the bonnethead, as Newsweek reported. And it may already be endangered.
That's because of unregulated fishing in the region. The shovelbill can be found in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, from Brazil all the way up to Belize.
"It is tragic that we have only just recognized that this species exists, and we are already running against the clock to prevent its extinction," lead researcher Demian Chapman told FIU News. "Fortunately, Belize has taken proactive steps for shark conservation that may help this species, such as collaborating closely with shark fishing communities to manage shark catches, establishing protected areas, and implementing a nationwide gillnet ban."
Why is this important?
The shovelbill and bonnethead sharks are small — roughly three feet long — and unique to the Americas. Part of a biodiverse ecosystem that helps keep a healthy balance, the species are different in the shapes of their heads and number of vertebrae, as well as their genetics. They are easy to misidentify and, like other marine animals, at great risk of becoming bycatch in fishing nets or entangled in discarded fishing gear and other trash.
Gillnets, which hang in the water and trap fish by their gills as they try to back out of the material, are particularly dangerous to the sharks.
Bycatch can be reduced by monitoring and reporting, which helps fishers identify how modifying and changing their equipment can help, SeaChoice reports. Anglers can also change their behavior, steering clear of migratory routes or areas frequented by various species, fishing at different depths, and using different baits.
What's being done about protecting shovelbill sharks?
Chapman is also a lead scientist at Global FinPrint, a research and conservation group that monitors sharks, rays, and other sea life at coral reefs. The program is vital to designing new marine protected areas, or MPAs, FIU News said.
In the second phase of the project, scientists will return to 26 countries to evaluate the reef sharks, help improve MPAs, and guide the creation of new MPAs. This will improve their understanding of how the sharks and rays affect their ecosystems and provide insight about how to protect them.
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