Endangerment of sharks in The Adriatic sea

Abstract

Morski psi spadaju u skupinu hrskavičnjača (Chondrichthyes) i raspoređeni su u 8 redova koji uključuju 479 vrsta od kojih 28 naseljuje Jadransko more. Ono se nalazi na južnom dijelu sjeverne polutke Zemlje i prostrani je zaljev Sredozemnog mora. Morfološki, morski psi poprimaju različite oblike, ali sve odlikuje heterocerkalna peraja, hidrodinamičan oblik tijela, ventralna parabolična usta i izdužen rostrum. Iznimno su bitni za morski ekosustav jer zauzimaju najviši položaj, što ih čini glavnim predatorima. Zbog svoje su veličine i osobina poprimili veliku vrijednost i kod ljudi koji ih izlovljavaju, stoga je velika većina njih uvrštena na popise ugroženosti. Cilj ovog rada je izraziti sažeti pregled trenutnog stupnja ugroženosti morskih pasa u Jadranskom moru kao i razloge zbog kojih su ugroženi. Neki od glavnih uzročnika smanjenja broja morskih pasa Jadrana jesu ribolov, degradacija staništa, onečišćenje mora i unutrašnji čimbenici. Potrebno je podići svijesti o potrebi da se zaštiti vrsta i educirati ljude o njenom značaju u ekosustavu mora. Postiglo bi se mnogo izučavanjem biologije vrste, brojnosti i rasprostranjenosti, ekologije, ugroženosti i zaštite te praćenjem stanja i puštanjem na slobodu ulovljenih primjeraka ukoliko je to moguće.Sharks belong to Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fishes. They are classified into 8 orders that include 479 species from which 28 live in The Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic Sea is located in southern part of the northern hemisphere and is a gulf of the Mediterranean Sea. Morphologically, body shape varies considerably among shark species but most of these fishes have heterocercal caudal fin, streamlined body, ventral parabolic mouth and long flattened snout. They are very important for marine ecosystem because they have the highest position in food chain and are main predators. Because of their size and features they are very valuable to people. A lot of sharks are being caught to the point that they become threatened and because of that they are listed as endangered. The goal of this seminar is to show current situation of how endangered sharks are in The Adriatic and reasons why they are listed as threatened. Some of the causes are fishing, habitat degradation, marine pollution and internal factors. It is needed to raise awareness to protect species and to educate people about their significance in marine ecosystem. A lot would be achieved by studying biology of sharks species, their abundance and prevalence, ecology, endangerment and protection, tracking their condition and if it is possible releasing them to freedom when they are caught