New Evidence for the Contemporary Presence of Juvenile White Sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) in the Adriatic Sea
The presence of the white shark (<i>Carcharodon carcharias)</i> in the Mediterranean Sea is well documented, but mainly through historical and opportunistic records. Historically, the Adriatic Sea, particularly its eastern coastline, was considered a hotspot for white sharks, with relati...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Fishes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/1/25 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832588496425975808 |
|---|---|
| author | Patrick L. Jambura Pero Ugarković Mišo Pavičić Ilija Ćetković Simone Niedermüller Jürgen Kriwet Julia Türtscher |
| author_facet | Patrick L. Jambura Pero Ugarković Mišo Pavičić Ilija Ćetković Simone Niedermüller Jürgen Kriwet Julia Türtscher |
| author_sort | Patrick L. Jambura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The presence of the white shark (<i>Carcharodon carcharias)</i> in the Mediterranean Sea is well documented, but mainly through historical and opportunistic records. Historically, the Adriatic Sea, particularly its eastern coastline, was considered a hotspot for white sharks, with relatively frequent reports of juvenile specimens suggesting a potential nursery area. However, since the second half of the 20th century, the abundance of white sharks in the Adriatic has experienced a dramatic decline, with the last confirmed sighting recorded in 2011. In this study, we report the recent capture of a young-of-the-year (YOY) white shark off the Croatian coast, previously misidentified as a porbeagle shark (<i>Lamna nasus</i>). In addition, we revisit historical records of white sharks in the Adriatic Sea to assess whether this region can be considered a nursery area. Our findings highlight significant gaps in the understanding of white shark spatial ecology and reproductive biology in the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the critical role citizen science and public engagement can play in documenting occurrences of these elusive and endangered predators, offering valuable insights for future conservation efforts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-94dacea1cb3f470383be55ba7f1de68e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2410-3888 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fishes |
| spelling | doaj-art-94dacea1cb3f470383be55ba7f1de68e2025-01-24T13:32:29ZengMDPI AGFishes2410-38882025-01-011012510.3390/fishes10010025New Evidence for the Contemporary Presence of Juvenile White Sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) in the Adriatic SeaPatrick L. Jambura0Pero Ugarković1Mišo Pavičić2Ilija Ćetković3Simone Niedermüller4Jürgen Kriwet5Julia Türtscher6Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaThe MECO Project, 546 45 Thessaloniki, GreeceInstitute of Oceanography and Fisheries, 21000 Split, CroatiaInstitute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, 85330 Kotor, MontenegroWorld Wide Fund for Nature Mediterranean Marine Initiative (WWF MMI), 00161 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaThe presence of the white shark (<i>Carcharodon carcharias)</i> in the Mediterranean Sea is well documented, but mainly through historical and opportunistic records. Historically, the Adriatic Sea, particularly its eastern coastline, was considered a hotspot for white sharks, with relatively frequent reports of juvenile specimens suggesting a potential nursery area. However, since the second half of the 20th century, the abundance of white sharks in the Adriatic has experienced a dramatic decline, with the last confirmed sighting recorded in 2011. In this study, we report the recent capture of a young-of-the-year (YOY) white shark off the Croatian coast, previously misidentified as a porbeagle shark (<i>Lamna nasus</i>). In addition, we revisit historical records of white sharks in the Adriatic Sea to assess whether this region can be considered a nursery area. Our findings highlight significant gaps in the understanding of white shark spatial ecology and reproductive biology in the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the critical role citizen science and public engagement can play in documenting occurrences of these elusive and endangered predators, offering valuable insights for future conservation efforts.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/1/25ChondrichthyesMediterranean Seanursery areacitizen sciencesocial mediathreatened species |
| spellingShingle | Patrick L. Jambura Pero Ugarković Mišo Pavičić Ilija Ćetković Simone Niedermüller Jürgen Kriwet Julia Türtscher New Evidence for the Contemporary Presence of Juvenile White Sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) in the Adriatic Sea Fishes Chondrichthyes Mediterranean Sea nursery area citizen science social media threatened species |
| title | New Evidence for the Contemporary Presence of Juvenile White Sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) in the Adriatic Sea |
| title_full | New Evidence for the Contemporary Presence of Juvenile White Sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) in the Adriatic Sea |
| title_fullStr | New Evidence for the Contemporary Presence of Juvenile White Sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) in the Adriatic Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | New Evidence for the Contemporary Presence of Juvenile White Sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) in the Adriatic Sea |
| title_short | New Evidence for the Contemporary Presence of Juvenile White Sharks (<i>Carcharodon carcharias</i>) in the Adriatic Sea |
| title_sort | new evidence for the contemporary presence of juvenile white sharks i carcharodon carcharias i in the adriatic sea |
| topic | Chondrichthyes Mediterranean Sea nursery area citizen science social media threatened species |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/1/25 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT patrickljambura newevidenceforthecontemporarypresenceofjuvenilewhitesharksicarcharodoncarchariasiintheadriaticsea AT perougarkovic newevidenceforthecontemporarypresenceofjuvenilewhitesharksicarcharodoncarchariasiintheadriaticsea AT misopavicic newevidenceforthecontemporarypresenceofjuvenilewhitesharksicarcharodoncarchariasiintheadriaticsea AT ilijacetkovic newevidenceforthecontemporarypresenceofjuvenilewhitesharksicarcharodoncarchariasiintheadriaticsea AT simoneniedermuller newevidenceforthecontemporarypresenceofjuvenilewhitesharksicarcharodoncarchariasiintheadriaticsea AT jurgenkriwet newevidenceforthecontemporarypresenceofjuvenilewhitesharksicarcharodoncarchariasiintheadriaticsea AT juliaturtscher newevidenceforthecontemporarypresenceofjuvenilewhitesharksicarcharodoncarchariasiintheadriaticsea |