IHT: EU - Sharks decline by 97 percent in Mediterranean

The number of sharks in the Mediterranean has fallen by 97 percent
over the past 200 years, putting the sea's ecological balance at risk,
a report released Wednesday said.

The report by the Lenfest Ocean Program, which is based in
Washington, used records like fishermen's logs, museum specimens and
sightings to estimate the number and size of Mediterranean sharks over
the past two centuries.

There was only enough data on 5 of the 20 big shark species present
in the Mediterranean to be useful to the study: the hammerhead,
thresher, blue and two species of mackerel shark, which averaged a
decline of 97 percent.

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