Have you ever eaten a shark?
You probably have — even without realizing it. Smoothhound, spiny dogfish, blue shark: these are common names at the fish market, but they’re all sharks. And what about skates and rays? They’re close relatives. Long part of Italian culinary tradition, today many of these species are at risk of extinction. Why? They grow slowly, reproduce late, and have few young.
But we can make a difference — even at the dinner table: choose local, more abundant, and sustainable fish. Download and share this leaflet on the download page (or scan the QR code). It will guide your choice, explaining why some species should be altoghether avoided, even if they are legally fished and sold, and those species that may be consumed – occasionally. Bit if you can, choose more abundant and sustainable fish! Produced with the experts of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group – Mediterranean Region, part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
LIFE European Sharks (LIFE22-GIE-IT-LIFE-EU-SHARKS/101114031) is a project co-funded by the European Union through the LIFE Programme. It is coordinated by Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, with partners in Croatia (@unist.hr), France (Parc naturel marin du Cap Corse et de l’Agriate), and Italy (Acquario di Livorno, Centro di Competenza Distrettuale, DREAm Italia – Progetti europei, Corpo delle Capitanerie di Porto – Guardia Costiera, MedSharks, Shoreline, and DAGRI UNIFI).
