Species Profile No. 41: The African Angelshark (Squatina africana) This isn’t a strictly scientific opinion, but I think that African angelsharks are exceptionally beautiful with their adorable spots! We here at TD may be biased towards sharks with spots in general. But besides that, these sharks are found along the continental shelf, and live in areas that are sandy/muddy at the bottom. They are classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Not a lot seems to be known about their reproduction, but they’re very similar to the Pacific angelshark, which has a generation length of a whopping 23 years! Since angelsharks generally reproduce slowly, it’s not a stretch to assume that the African angelshark is sensitive to overfishing. African angelsharks are caught by several types of fisheries. They seem to mostly be caught as bycatch by prawn trawling fisheries and gillnets. In South Africa, trawling operations often catch juvenile sharks, meaning that the deep waters there could be a nursery area for the species, as could similar deepwater areas where trawling occurs. As is often the case, more information about the rates at which these sharks are caught is needed. They don’t fall under much protection other than living in several Marine Protected Areas. The IUCN has suggested that using Turtle Exclusion Devices, devices used to keep turtles out of trawlers, would benefit this species by reducing the rate of bycatch. To help support angel sharks, make sure to support @angelsharkproject, the Angel Shark Conservation Network, Shark Advocates International, and the Shark Conservation Fund. ••• Big thanks to our Patron, Clay Herber! ••••••••••••••••••••••••• #angelsharkprofiles #shark #sharks #angelshark #africanangelshark #africanwildlife #africa #squatina #diversesharks #sharkeducation #savesharks #savethesharks #helpsavesharks #bycatch #overfishing #stopoverfishing #replacefearwithfacts #stopsharkfinning https://www.instagram.com/p/B1d0U7SBJ6u/?igshid=18dxuwdty72mn
