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One of the world’s rarest sharks has been filmed off the Welsh coast, offering a fleeting glimpse into the life of a species teetering on the brink of extinction.
Underwater footage shows a critically endangered angel shark swimming through the waters of Cardigan Bay – the first time it has been recorded on film in the area since 2021.
The shark was captured by cameras deployed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW), designed to monitor biodiversity as part of a project investigating marine life in the region, many of which are under threat from human activities.
“We were thrilled to record an angel shark in Cardigan Bay, a rare and exciting encounter,” said Dr Sarah Perry, marine conservation and research manager at WTSWW.
“Before this project started, angel sharks hadn’t been captured on film in Cardigan Bay since 2021.”
Angel sharks are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, with populations in steep decline due to habitat loss and commercial fishing.
With numbers of the species falling, the shark is especially vulnerable to bottom trawling – the industrial fishing practice of dragging vast, weighted nets along the sea floor, scooping up everything in their path.
“While Cardigan Bay and other vital habitats are full of incredible wildlife and store vast amounts of carbon, yet they are threatened with destruction by industrial-scale fishing in many areas,” WTSWW said.
Despite the decline, Dr Perry said the sighting “comes at a crucial time, as the Senedd and UK government discuss a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas”.
And while Wales has 139 designated marine protected areas (MPAs), conservationists say many still remain exposed to damaging activities such as trawling, dredging and even seabed mining.
Angel sharks – slow to reproduce and adapted to life near the ocean floor – are particularly susceptible to these pressures.
The UK parliament’s environmental audit committee has recommended a full ban on bottom trawling within MPAs, calling for stronger protection of marine habitats across the board.
Ministers have previously suggested they might take action, and while protections exist against harmful fishing practices in around 60% of marine protected areas, a full ban has yet to be implemented.
Environmental groups warn that without urgent and comprehensive protection, species like the angel shark could disappear entirely from UK waters.
The Wildlife Trusts are urging the public to take part in an open UK government consultation on banning bottom trawling in MPAs, which remains open over the summer.
