Nursehound shark spotted off Alderney

Wednesday 06 October 2021

Footage of an under-threat Nursehound shark was captured on a baited underwater camera near Burhou.

Volunteers of the Alderney Wildlife Trust (AWT) captured video footage of a Nursehound shark (Scyliorhinus stellaris) near the islet.

The shark was drawn to the bait attached to the BRUV located on the seabed and appeared to be around one metre long.  

Watch: The Nursehound is a large catshark, long and slender with a stocky front. It has large spots all over and nasal flaps that just fall short of the mouth.

Nursehound sharks have been labelled as ‘near threatened’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, and as confirmed in the recorded footage, they prefer to stay just off of the sea floor and live in rocky areas with lots of algae.

Research contributions for the AWT have fallen almost solely to volunteers in the last two decades and as we approach winter, the AWT is encouraging more people to get involved in preserving and protecting Alderney’s wildlife for the future.

“The AWT runs multiple studies with partner organizations such as the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (Bee Walks), the RSPB (Big Garden Bird Watch), the Garden Moth Scheme and SeaSearch (dive and snorkel survey programme),” said CEO Roland Gauvain. 

“At their most basic level these studies only require some initial training and nothing beyond the capabilities of someone interested in learning.”