Protect our seas

SHARKS and rays are the species most at risk of extinction in the Balearic Islands, according to a new nationwide study.

‘El Estado de la Biodiversidad en España’ (‘The state of biodiversity in Spain’) has been carried out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) together with an organisation from the Canary Islands.

The report concludes that there are 27 species in the Balearic Islands that are listed as critically endangered and another 46 as endangered.

Among the former, the most abundant species are cartilaginous fish, ie sharks and rays, followed by plants.

The tiger ray is one of the species in the most critical situation, while among the plant species, the most worrying are endemic plants such as the Apid d’en Bermejo (Apium bermejoi).

The group of critically endangered birds includes the Sociable Lapwing and, among the molluscs, the Vitrea striata, a species endemic to Ibiza that may already be extinct.

Regional Marine Resources director Antoni Grau admits that sharks and rays “have always been the forgotten ones” in preservation campaigns and highlights the project currently underway to reintroduce the nursehound shark in Cabrera national park.