Biologist Charlie Sarria calls for more regulation of sharks: "Many species are consumed daily and are cheap."

Mari Navas
Madrid, July 14 (EFE).- Despite the "demonization" that accompanies sharks in movies, marine biologist Carlos Sarria has made these animals a part of his life, calling for more regulation and environmental monitoring in the face of overfishing, habitat degradation, and pollution.
"Many of these species are consumed daily and are often cheap. Some are regulated by law and cannot be caught in Spain, but others are what Spanish boats do by going to other places to do so," he explained in an interview with EFEverde.
At 29 years old, this Malaga native, who studied Environmental Sciences and has a master's degree in Marine Biology, is the co-founder of the NGO Condrik Tenerife, dedicated to researching elasmobranchs in the Canary Islands, especially sharks.

A research project that led him to dive to a depth of 300 meters in a submarine hours before speaking to EFEverde as part of a campaign aimed at learning more about sharks at sea through bait fishing.
"Deep-sea sharks are much more complex, and most of the data collected is from fishing discards, but seeing live deep-sea sharks with your own eyes hasn't been done, or only very rarely," he said in an interview with Efe, in which he explained that, in these types of campaigns, they wait for hours for the animals to be "attracted by the bait and come and take a look."
Know your behaviorFaced with the fear that Hollywood's imagery has provoked in many, the young man's curiosity and morbid curiosity induced by "the demonization of the shark" made him want to study it further, preserve it, and gradually delve into its world.
Now, with the association, he seeks to learn more about the species' population dynamics "to protect and conserve them, and to have much more robust legislative regulations, so we can learn more about the species and better regulate them."
In his opinion, regulation is lacking because, as he explains, what the International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUCN) says "often or never has legislative weight," something that could change if sufficient data were available.
An endangered speciesSharks, along with rays and chimaeras, are part of the chondrichthyan family, a taxonomic group that is the second most endangered in the world, with one in three species in danger of extinction, according to data from Ecologists in Action.
"There is a lack of protection for some species, which is insufficient, but on the other hand, a lot of effort is also being made," Sarria asserts in this regard.
The young man explains that this species is particularly threatened by overfishing, habitat degradation, and pollution. "Especially due to accidental capture of sharks, shark fin soup, and ornamental ornamentation like their jaws, their skin, and their liver for cosmetics," he notes.
A business worth hundreds of millions of eurosIn particular, Sarria focuses on shark overfishing, both targeted and through accidental capture, for which he calls for greater regulation.
"For me, regulated, sustainable fishing that fosters a local economy and with no-take reserves, which then allows for adjacent fishing, seems like an incredible strategy," he notes.
All of this is a business worth hundreds of millions of euros, and an animal that is frequently sold at fish markets and is a staple of Spanish gastronomy, such as marinated dogfish, red ink broth, and blue sharks.

Along with this overfishing, the young man also claims they are noticing climate change, rising temperatures, ocean acidification, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
"Patterns are changing, and habitat degradation is enormous. So it's noticeable, but each case must always be analyzed point by point," he continues.
In this context, he calls for greater environmental oversight so that legally protected areas don't remain "paper reserves," as well as increased funding for research and less tedious processes for setting up organizations.
Furthermore, he champions the role of outreach, awakening human curiosity, and raising awareness, something he does through social media (where he has nearly 40,000 followers) and various collaborations.
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