Blue sharks in Ireland
Did you know that blue sharks (amongst many other sharks) live in Irish waters?
It is unlikely to encounter them during a shore snorkel/dive; however, they do live in Irish waters.
For a few years, I have been organising private boat trips to see and swim with blue sharks in Ireland. My wish is to create awareness, a connection and more protection for sharks, marine life and all wildlife. A lot of time and energy goes into it. Never mind the fact that most trips are cancelled due to our weather conditions.
But sometimes stars do align. And moments and pictures or videos like the below feel like a mini-reward for all the effort.
Why do I want to raise awareness and help protect sharks more?
Well, hundreds of millions of sharks still get killed EVERY year. The majority of it STILL because of theshark fin trade. Which is illegal in Ireland/Europe but still happening. (Some recent fines have been issued when foreign fishing vessels were seized)
Quote from htps://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_3677:
“What is the role of the EU in fishing and trading of shark fins?
Regarding EU fisheries, between 2019 and 2021, EU vessels reported a total of catches amounting to 248,392 tonnes of sharks, an average of 82,797 tonnes per year.
EU exports are significant for frozen shark fins, they average around 2,300 tonnes and €170 million per year. Globally, trade in shark commodities approached USD 1 billion per year and around 7,100 tonnes of shark fins in 2021. From 2019 to 2021, the main destination countries for EU's exports were, in annual average, Singapore (985 tonnes, €13 million), China (893 tonnes, €11 million), Hong Kong (194 tonnes, €7 million). Around 82% of EU exports of shark fins go to Singapore and China.
“We only protect what we love, we only love what we understand, and we only understand what we are taught.”
-Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Today, I want to show you their beauty. And raise awareness. I also provide my data and observations to marine biologists to help with conservation efforts.
Here you see very inquisitive (food-driven) blue sharks, unlikely to be aggressive (and weren’t on the day), but observing them from the water does need precautions and a couple of considerations before you can swim with them.
I hope you enjoy the footage😊
