EDINBURGH (SCOTLAND)- Researchers from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University have discovered a spawning ground for deep-sea sharks on Scotland’s only inshore coral reef, the Mingulay Reef.
The team discovered egg cases of the blackmouth catshark on the Mingulay Reef in the Outer Hebrides. The Mingulay Reef is waiting to find out if the European Union will designate the site as a marine protected area.
The Heriot-Watt scientists believe this would be essential to help safeguard local sharks and the millions of pounds generated by recreational anglers who visit Scotland. Deepwater sharks have long been a draw for anglers in the area, but this is the first time their spawning grounds have been found in Scotland.
A remotely operated vehicle was used to survey the cold-water corals of the Mingulay Reef during Heriot-Watt’s Changing Ocean Expedition in 2012. The team discovered that the blackmouth catshark spawns there – and has some particular requirements for a spawning habitat. Shark eggs were found ‘nested’ in corals at a narrow depth of between 165m and 172m on sites that are slightly sloped and colonised by rough corals.
In addition, the spawning sites were all located on the leeward side of the reefs, which protects them from being blown away by strong currents.
Read more at BBC News.