When I mention that I scuba dive the first question that is always asked is: “But aren’t there sharks?” Yes, there are sharks in Northumberland, but not the man eaters that are portrayed on your screen. In fact, many shark species are probably more docile than you think.

Around the Northumberland coastline we have some amazing shark species, from the small spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) to the beautiful blue shark (Prionace glauca). Some of them are elusive and some of them can be seen while simply snorkeling. The small spotted catshark, for example, can be found in very shallow water and can live down to 100 metres deep. Whereas the blue shark is pelagic, which means they live in the open ocean.

There is a big and very common misconception with regards to sharks. They are portrayed in most media channels as scary monsters, when, in reality, they are incredible creatures which play a vital role to ocean health and are facing a lot of hardship. I often get asked, “do you not worry when you go under the water that there might be sharks?” But if you talk to most scuba divers, seeing a shark is one of the most exciting moments of any dive, and it signifies a healthy environment.

“Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you’re lucky enough to see lots of them, that means you are in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid if you are in the ocean and don’t see sharks.” – Dr Sylvia Earle.

There are a multitude of issues that sharks are facing, not just worldwide but in our local environment as well. Pollution in the water, in the form of litter and sewage dumping can have serious consequences for sharks. Simple things such as discarded fishing weights with big metal spikes can cause real issues. Rogue fishing equipment (known as ghost gear) causes some big problems. If nets are left in the water they can still entangle and catch any number of species including sharks.

On average sharks kill 10 people a year, whereas humans kill 73 million sharks every year; so we ask who are the real monsters?

The stigma that surrounds sharks plays a big part in the struggle that they face, however, in the UK legislation has been put in place to try and protect sharks. These include a ban on the export and import of shark fins, and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides some protection for certain species found in Northumberland including: basking shark, angel shark and the white skate, but the other species in the area are not included in this act. It has been found in recent surveys of fish and chip shops that shark was being sold and people weren’t even aware. In fact, the commonly seen rock salmon is usually spiny dogfish which is an endangered shark species in UK waters.

It’s not all bad news for sharks in Northumberland though, there are many charities and local groups that are trying to clean up the oceans and protect sharks. For example: Ghost Diving UK focus on removing ghost gear found in the water to try to prevent entanglement, Bite Back Shark and Marine Conservation are fighting to protect sharks and have some great resources on their website and Sea Shepherd UK fight for the oceans in many ways. Northumberland Wildlife Trust, works within a network of over 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK and work to protect wildlife on land and sea. NWT is also part of a smaller group of Trusts, working together to protect our seas and drive marine conservation called The North Sea Wildlife Trusts. If you’d like to find out more about protected marine areas visit the Wildlife Trusts website here https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/marine-protected-areas

Some other great local companies and charities that are trying to protect sharks and the oceans include:

• North Sea Rejects
• Sea Champions North East
• The Fifth Point Diving Centre

So next time you are in the water, let’s hope you get to see a shark!

Katarina Martin (@katiediddiscover)