A shark has been seen several times on the beaches of Sciotot and Siouville-Hague, it has not yet been identified with certainty but does not present any danger.
For several days now, a shark measuring around 1,50 meters has been wandering between the beaches of Siouville and Sciotot, causing the closure of swimming areas for several hours.
Contrary to what may have been written in certain media, no scene of panic is to be reported, but maybe just one or two small scares.
The Association for the Study and Conservation of the Selachians, based in Brest, was contacted given the particular behavior of the animal which comes very close to the edge.
The APECS expert advises for the moment to leave the procedure that has been put in place until the identification of the species, a procedure which consists of leaving room for the animal when it is near the edge, not to protect bathers from an improbable bite but to preserve it. As a reminder, on approximately 500 species of shark almost a third of them are threatened. And it is therefore out of concern for sharing the beach that lifeguards prohibit swimming.
Currently, three species are preferred by APECS:
- A juvenile basking shark that appears to be disoriented.
- A porbeagle shark (because it is very present on our coasts) but which does not correspond to the descriptions.
- A large spotted emisole with atypical behavior, which would most closely match the descriptions of witnesses.
In these three cases, no worries but a real scientific interest since we still know little about the movements and lifestyle of these species which are nevertheless very widespread on our coasts and regularly fished.
THEASES Cotentin, the association which coordinates lifeguards with the municipalities, remains in close communication with APECS for identification as well as the collection of information for study purposes.
So you can continue to go swimming without worry and also help to better understand local wildlife by downloading the application OBSenMER by providing your observations.
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