At the student meetings organised by LIFE European Sharks on 14 and 15 March 2024 by the Centro Subacqueo Torre del Greco, participants will include the Mayor of Torre del Greco, the President of the Sorrento City Council, the Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area, and the Italian Coast Guard.eco, parteciperanno il Sindaco torrese, il Presidente del Consiglio Comunale di Sorrento, l’Area Marina Protetta Punta Campanella, la Capitaneria di Porto
Naples, 13 March 2024 – More than fifty species of sharks and rays are found in the Gulf of Naples. From the small catshark to the massive basking shark, the list includes deep-sea species like the angular roughshark and the kitefin shark; bottom-dwellers like skates and stingrays; and open-ocean wanderers such as the great white, mako, and blue shark.
The list is long thanks to the Gulf’s rich variety of habitats, and because it takes into account sightings over the past two hundred years. But if we were to make that list today, it would be much shorter: in the Mediterranean, many sharks and rays are now at risk of extinction, and several species are just a memory. The Gulf of Naples is no exception.
Among the threats — overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss — is also the fear instilled in people by myths, films, and legends, which have led many to see sharks as dangerous animals, and few to care about their fate.
“Sharks are a vital part of marine biodiversity and play a key role in ocean ecosystems. Humans should be part of this complex system — not place themselves at its centre. We must give younger generations the knowledge they need: only through awareness can we inspire real respect, protection, and conservation,”
says Antonio Terlizzi of the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn of Naples, coordinator of LIFE European Sharks, a project for the conservation of sharks and rays co-funded by the European Commission’s LIFE Programme.
To help reverse this trend, LIFE European Sharks will meet students at IC F. Assisi in Torre del Greco and IC Gragnano 3 in Castellammare di Stabia to show that sharks are indeed formidable hunters — but of fish, octopus, squid, and crustaceans. Far from being a threat to humans, sharks themselves are at risk of extinction.
The events will be attended by Luigi Mennella, Mayor of Torre del Greco; Maria Teresa Sorrentino, Councillor for Education; Carmela Guidone of the Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area; Luigi Di Prisco, President of the Sorrento City Council; and Ida Montanaro and Gabriele Cimoli, Commanders of the Italian Coast Guard.
“As Cousteau said: people protect what they love. That’s why it’s our responsibility to help young people fall in love with the sea — especially the one they see and experience every day,”
says Eleonora de Sabata, previewing her talk.
“We’ll show them that the Gulf is still home to a true biodiversity hotspot: Banco di Santa Croce, a nursery ground for the nursehound and a key site for the newly protected eagle ray. And how even unknowing ‘Sunday fishers’ can pose a serious threat to these species in their most critical habitats.
The protection of sharks and rays starts with us — and with our choices,”
she concludes. Eleonora is a partner of LIFE European Sharks with MedSharks, and has been studying these species at Banco di Santa Croce for ten years, with the help of divers.
The school visits are organised by Centro Subacqueo Torre del Greco, a long-standing group dedicated to helping young people discover the sea and the rich biodiversity of the Gulf of Naples — including sharks. Because those who have seen them up close know: sharks are in danger, not dangerous.
