To cull or not to cull: Greenland debates fate of world’s slowest shark
Greenland fishers are calling for a cull of the Greenland shark, which they claim is damaging their equipment and threatening their livelihoods. Conservationists warn that the species' slow reproductive cycle makes them highly vulnerable to population collapse.
Why it matters
This conflict highlights the tension between local economic survival and the preservation of long-lived, slow-reproducing marine species in a changing environment.
Greenland sharks can live for more than 400 years but as they only reproduce after 150 years, plans for a cull could devastate the population, say conservationists. Photograph: Eric Ste Marie Greenland sharks can live for more than 400 years but as they only reproduce after 150 years, plans for a cull could devastate the population, say conservationists. Photograph: Eric Ste Marie Seascape: the state of our oceans Sharks To cull or not to cull: Greenland debates fate of world’s slowest shark As trawlers compete with Greenland sharks for halibut and cod, conservationists and fishers clash over what to do about misunderstood species
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