Sharkman's World
To Save & Protect Sharks
Malta's Sharks
Where is Malta?
That is the Question that I am always asked !!
Well Malta is a very tiny island situated in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea.
ONE OF MY DREAMS COMES TRUE !!!
It was in 1997 that I first had a meeting with The Hon. Minister Dr. Frances Zammit Dimech M.P. and asked him to pass laws to protect some shark species in Malta. He promised me that there will be further discussions.
A year later, I was chosen to be Shark Program Coordinator for MARINE LIFE CARE GROUP {Malta}.
On 13th. November 1999
After many many months of meetings, discussions and political lobbying, THE GREAT WHITE SHARK (Carcharodon carcharias) and THE BASKING SHARK (Cetorhinus maximus) along with THE DEVIL RAY (Mobula mobular), got listed as PROTECTED Species here in MALTA. This makes this Island the FIRST in all of EUROPE to protect the GREAT WHITE SHARK. These 3 species which are listed as endangered, cannot be fished or hunted any longer.
At the time, I had written:
The Legal Notice 161 was issued on 24th September 1999. I could not share this news with any one before as any objections would have meant a delay or total cancellation of the laws. These were the longest two months of my life!!
This is only the first step in shark protection and now discussions must continue so as to make guidelines and measures that protect both Sharks and Humans from any possible danger. But the biggest hurdle has been overcome.
Let this be a lesson to all....
A FEW PEOPLE CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
On my own personal behalf, and that of M.L.C.G. (Malta), I would like to thank:
The Hon. Minister Dr. Frances Zammit Dimech M.P.
and his Department of Environment.
Mr. Rodney Fox
who has been my lifelong inspiration
and
All those who showed their support in this mission.
{forgive me for not mentioning any names, but I do not wish to leave anybody out.} You all have my eternal gratitude and I will never forget this.
THANKS
ALEX "The Sharkman" BUTTIGIEG
23rd Nov. 1999
In 1999, the first 2 shark species became protected under Maltese law.
Since then, we have a total of 15 species:
Great White Shark
Basking Shark
Shortfin Mako Shark
Porbeagle Shark
Sandtiger Shark
Small Tooth Sandtiger Shark
Tope Shark
Angular Rough Shark
Saw-backed Angel Shark
Smooth back Angel Shark
Angel Shark
Bigeye Thresher Shark
Common hammerhead
Scalloped Hammerhead*
Great Hammerhead* *
are totally PROTECTED IN MALTA
(* although there are no official records of these two species from Malta, they are still protected to avoid species misidentification)
Although Big Sharks have been caught around the Maltese Islands, there are only 2 recorded incidents and the last one was in 1956.
Sharks around the Maltese Islands
Order HEXANCHIFORMES : Cowsharks
HEXANCHIDAE - Six & Seven gilled Sharks
Heptranchias perlo - Sharpnose seven-gill shark
Hexanchus griseus - Bluntnose six-gill shark
Order SQUALIFORMES : Dogfish sharks
ECHINORHINIDAE - Bramble sharks
Echinorhinus brucus - Bramble shark
CENTROPHORIDAE - Gulper sharks
Centrophorus granulosus - Gulper shark
Centroscymnus coelolepis - Portuguese dogfish
DALATIINAE - Kitefin sharks
Dalatias licha - Kitefin shark
ETMOPTERINAE - Lantern sharks
Etmopterus spinax - Velvet-belly shark
SQUALIDAE - Dogfish sharks
Squalus acanthias - Piked dogfish
Squalus blainvillei - Longnose spurdog
OXYNOTIDAE - Roughsharks
Oxynotus centrina - Angular roughshark
Order SQUATINIFORMES: Angelsharks
SQUATINIDAE - Angelsharks
Squatina squatina - Angelshark
Squatina aculeata - Sawback Angelshark
Squatina oculata - Smoothback Angelshark
Order LAMNIFORMES: Mackerel sharks
ODONTASPIDIDAE - Sandtiger sharks
Carcharias taurus - Sandtiger or Grey nurse shark
Odontaspis ferox - Smalltooth sandtiger
CETORHINIDAE - Basking Sharks
Cetorhinus maximus - Basking shark
LAMNIDAE - Mackerel sharks
Carcharodon carcharias - Great white shark
Isurus oxyrinchus - Shortfin mako
Lamna nasus - Porbeagle
ALOPIIDAE - Thresher sharks
Alopias vulpinus - Thresher shark
Alopias superciliosus - Bigeye thresher shark
Order CARCHARHINIFORMES: Ground sharks
SCYLIORHINIDAE - Catsharks
Galeus melastomus - Blackmouth catshark
Scyliorhinus canicula - Smallspotted catshark
Scyliorhinus stellaris - Nursehound
TRIAKIDAE - Houndsharks
Galeorhinus galeus - Tope or Schoolshark
Mustelus asterias - Starry smoothhound
Mustelus mustelus - Smoothhound
Mustelus punctulatus - Blackspot smoothhound
CARCHARHINIDAE - Requiem sharks
Carcharhinus brevipinna - Spinner shark
Carcharhinus brachyurus - Bronze Whaler / Copper shark
Carcharhinus plumbeus - Sandbar shark
Carcharhinus limbatus - Blacktip shark
Carcharhinus obscurus - Dusky shark
Prionace glauca - Blue shark
SPHYRNIDAE - Hammerhead sharks
Sphyrna zygaena - Smooth hammerhead
MALTA'S INFAMOUS GREAT WHITE SHARK
The Story of Malta's Great White has had many doubts about the events and the true length of the shark. Here are the facts.
17 April 1987 = Alfred Cutajar finds a dead Great White Shark on one of the set lines belonging to Vince D'amato. He tries to pull it up but it was too heavy for his small boat. He asks for help from a larger fishing boat that was passing nearby. They pull up the shark and slowly tow it in to Żurrieq valley, but when they got there, they found out that the crane could not get close to the water to lift up the Shark so it was towed again all the way to the village of Marsaxlokk.
Word spread around like wild fire and John Abela enters the picture. He immediately offers to buy the Jaws from Alfred, and to make reports internationally about the catch.
The Shark was taken away and on the next morning, the local Maltese paper "In-Nazzjon Taghna" published a report of the catch with an estimate of 18 ft (5.4m) for the shark.
In the meantime John Abela claimed that he had measured the Shark at 23ft 5in (7.13m) !! He also published a whole set of photos, but none of which showed the actual full length of the shark. These measurements were considered doubtful by many researchers. When gutted, the remains of a 2m Blue Shark, a Dolphin and a Turtle were found.
In 1998 a team from BBC, came to Malta to investigate this issue. Some unpublished photos were discovered at the offices of the "In-Nazzjon Taghna", the paper that had first reported the catch, along with the First photo. The BBC investigators then sent these photos for tests and later, Ian Fergusson {1998} stated that the results indicated an estimate of app. 18ft. (5.4m). BBC contacted Abela with these findings and after a lot of arguing with them, he then admitted that he might have taken wrong measurements.
It is worth noting that on his Facebook page, John Abela now claims that the shark was 6.4m (20.9ft.)
My own personal opinion......
I personally arrived on the scene as the Shark was being hoisted out of the water in Marsaxlokk, but could only get to within 5 mtrs of the shark. From that distance, I estimated the shark to be less then 20 ft. (6m).
At that stage I did not know any of the people involved, but later I managed to trace both Alfred Cutajar and John Abela. I have spoken with them on many occasions, especially Alfred. I have also seen the Jaws and the Pectoral fins of this shark, and in my personal opinion, I still believe that it was no bigger 20ft. (6m). Although not the biggest in the world, it is one of the largest ever caught.
Here are the "Missing" Photos
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