(CMR) The body of a shark that is at high risk of extinction was found in an abandoned fishing net off the north coast of Grand Cayman, the Department of Environment said.
The Department said that on March 26, the abandoned fishing net was found off the north Coast of Grand Cayman by Capt. Charles Ebanks. The fisherman and his friends brought in the net and handed it over to DoE Conservation Officers. Trapped and dead marine life found in the net included fish, crustaceans, and a male, adult Caribbean sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon porosus).
According to the DoE, the sharpnose shark are a small coastal shark species that inhabits continental insular shelves from close inshore to a depth of 500 m in the tropical West Atlantic, Caribbean, and South America.
This species has undergone an overall population reduction of 30–49% over the past three generation lengths (14 years), is vulnerable, and is considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is a reminder to remove and appropriately dispose of fishing gear that is no longer in use and to remove any abandoned fishing gear if you come across it, the DoE stated.
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