New record of Greek sharks and ray to be presented at conference

Greek seas are home to a rich variety of sharks and rays, according to data collected over the last 90 years by environmental organization iSea. Its study records 4,540 sightings, identifying 33 species of sharks, 29 species of rays and one chimaera, showcasing the biodiversity of Greek waters.

The findings will be presented at the 2024 European Elasmobranch Association (EEA) conference in Thessaloniki, on October 21-24. The event is a major gathering for researchers focused on sharks and rays.

Roxani Naasan Aga-Spyridopoulou, iSea's program manager, developed a map showing shark and ray sightings across Greece, noting that these species are present in almost every marine area. Notably, 55% of the data collected has never been published in scientific journals, while 20% comes from citizen science.