Once considered abundant in the Atlantic, angel sharks were classified as “critically endangered” and were therefore added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species in 2010, a classification that was reaffirmed in 2017. In 2015, the European Commission also assigned the species the status of “critically endangered” on its European Red List of marine fishes.

Angel sharks have broad, flattened bodies with wing-like pectoral and pelvic fins near the head. Adult angel sharks can grow up to 2.5 m long. They are usually found at a depth of between 5m and 150m.

While humans have caught the angel shark for thousands of years, since the mid-20th century, intensive commercial fishing across the angel shark’s range has decimated its population.

Due to their sedentary nature, and the fact that they are “benthic” creatures – meaning they tend to live on the seabed in coastal waters – angel sharks are very susceptible to bottom trawling and are often caught in nets. Such fishing methods also damage the angel sharks’ habitats, making it more difficult for them to survive.

Angel sharks are now believed to be locally extinct across large parts of their former range, from Scandinavia to the Canary Islands. In Ireland their population has dwindled to just a few isolated locations such as Tralee and Galway Bay.

The specimen dissected by the MTU team on Friday was discovered on a beach in Co Clare by a former student of MTU’s Wildlife Biology programme, who quickly recognized the importance of the find and took it up with the university.

In carrying out the procedure, the MTU team took a range of body measurements, stomach contents and various tissue samples from the specimen, all of which will be sent for contaminant, stable isotope and genetic analysis, to elucidate the biology. and the ecology of angel sharks.

“Today’s dissection, although bittersweet in its circumstances, offers researchers a unique opportunity to understand and protect a critically endangered species of marine wildlife that we would otherwise not have,” says leading researcher and lecturer for MTU’s course in wildlife biology, Louise Overy.

The inquiry is vital to enable all sectors to come together to identify the next steps for marine wildlife conservation in Ireland.

Ms Overy added that it was “an honour” to lead a project working to secure a future for an endangered species of wildlife.

Angel Shark Project: Ireland, which is led by Louise Overy from the Wildlife Biology course at the MTU Kerry campus, is part of an international effort to take action to help support the angel shark throughout its range with project partners in Wales, Corsica, Greece, Libya, Croatia and the Canary Islands.