T e n e r i f e ’ s f a v o u r i t e b r i t i s h w e e k ly n e w s p a p e r Issue 718
26 August 2011 - 1 September 2011
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26ft squid and 6ft shark found off Tenerife coast IN Tenerife this week there has been more than one ‘fishy’ tale circulating. In Poris, within the municipality of Arico there has been a story circulating that a 4 metre shark was captured. Plus off the coast of Los Gigantes a huge, giant squid, never before seen had been captured. Firstly the Shark tale. Arico council denies that underwater discharge in Poris is attracting sharks close to the bathing areas. It was clarified that a ‘dogfish’ which is a member of the shark family, (which is common here in the Canaries) was found dead at the bottom of the sea, last month, on the 22nd of July and a long way from the coastline. It was brought into the harbour and was 2 meters in length not 4 metres as previously reported in the Spanish press. Arico would like to point out that “some misleading information caused an unnecessary alarm and instead of helping solve the problem just made it worse for Poris and the municipality of Arico. To believe false facts, and serious ones, insinuating that numerous giant sharks are circling Poris at night, which is totally untrue” According to experts there is plenty of food in the ocean, for example the fish cages and there is no need for sharks to come inland. In the same vein, oceanographer Pedro Pascual told Spanish Newspaper, Diario de Avisos, that there is no relationship between the appearance of a dead shark in the waters of Porís and the wastewater discharge. "These sharks live very deep, about 500
meters, and fish at night.” Pascual pointed out, however, that two years ago a shark was sighted in El Porís, and explained that the dead shark "may have been entangled in a net." "Pregnant females move to shallower waters to spawn every two years," said the biologist. Regarding the status of bathing water in Porís, the Department of the Environment said it, "also denies the existence of illegal dumping in the area, as a company hired by the municipality performs analytical monthly checks.” Dogfish sharks, are found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. According to Wikipedia, Dogfishes are small to medium sized sharks, ranging from 48 centimetres to 1.6 metres in adult body length. They have two dorsal fins, each with smooth spines, but have no anal fin.
Their skin is generally rough to the touch. Unlike virtually all other shark species, dogfish possess venom, which coats its dorsal spines and is mildly toxic to humans. These sharks are characterised by teeth in upper and lower jaws similar in size, they are carnivores and prey upon organisms smaller than themselves. Recently a family of sharks has also been seen off the coast of Lanzarote, once again thought to be dogfish. In the Canary Islands there has always been the existence of several species of small sharks called dogfish, but they live in the open sea due to their diet. It’s becoming increasingly common to see them. There are many variations known as bull sharks, not all are dangerous. They can grow to four meters
long and weigh up to 300 kilos, and are among the few of their kind, who venture into fresh water where they have been classified as dangerous. On the other side of the island a giant squid has been found floating off the coast of Los Gigantes. A film crew was filming whales inhabiting the waters of the south, in particular, Los Gigantes. They found the remains of a giant squid floating about two miles from the coast, possibly an adult female which could have reached 8 meters long with its tentacles intact. The squid is thought to belong to the “Architheuthis" family. This event also took place last month, but has only reached the news now, Rafa Herrero, a documentary maker, for EFE who was part of the crew said that,
“The animal was in good condition despite missing part of the tentacles and eyes, and retained its original pigmentation.” The film crew said that for the documentary it was amazing to see the size of the debris which was in the water and find that it was a giant squid, an animal, which carries a legend and a very direct connection with our work, as it is known to be an occasional finned prey.” According to Ángel Gerrea, professor of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and one of the leading specialists in cephalopods in the world, “it is possibly an adult female, which could be about 8 metres long with intact tentacles.” Herrero added that “a female Architheuthis can measure two and a half metres in the mantle, which would be about 18 to 20 metres in total length. The eyes are the largest in the animal kingdom, like a handball.” Archivists collected samples of to send to the Society for the Study of Cetaceans in the Canary Canario (SECAC). The depth of water in the area of Los Gigantes, where the giant squid appeared, is between 800 and 1,200 meters deep, allowing pilot whales to continue to feed as there are many marine species. A live giant squid has never been spotted. However, the first discovery "of this legendary animal of the deep" goes back to November 30th 1861, also in the waters of Tenerife, which marked "the first encounter between the giant squid and humans and that inspired the novel by Jules Verne”, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. “Little is known about this enigmatic cephalopod, so this may mean now that Tenerife becomes a haven for marine biologists investigating the deep ocean surrounding us.